Showdown with the Black Organisation
by Jebbifurzz
Summary: An attempt at giving the "Detective Conan" story some proper closure since the official end is nowhere in sight . Closure for romances, evil organizations, etc. Even the very minor characters will get their proper endings by the time I'm finished.
1. Ran's Concern

Hello everyone! My first chapter is here! Even though I am writing this as the end of the series, there will be a good bit of exposition. I just couldn't feel right jumping into a story without properly introducing the characters. I've also elected to tell this story using different characters' points of view. We'll obviously be in Conan/Shinichi's head more than someone like... let's say, Gin, but I will be diving into a lot of characters. Please let me know if it detracts from the story or makes things confusing. I feel I have a pretty firm grasp of the characters, but if you are not liking how I characterize anybody, please speak up! Criticism is a good thing! =)

* * *

"Tropical Land? I don't know, Sonoko…"

"Come on, Ran! It'll be fun!" The young woman paused. "Ah!" she suddenly exclaimed. "What if I got your husband to come along?"

"H-He's not my husband!" Ran shouted indignantly into her phone.

"Right, right, I understand," Sonoko replied. "But you're both secretly wishing it." Sonoko sighed dramatically. "Oh Shinichi!" she exclaimed mockingly, "Please come sweep me off my feet! Let's go live in a castle on the beach!"

Ran raised an eyebrow sarcastically. "I think you're getting a bit carried away with this criticism…"

"Ah, sorry," Sonoko giggled. "But as your best friend, I have unlimited teasing privileges." Ran smiled at Sonoko's sincerity. "So," Sonoko continued, "do you want to invite Shinichi? The Suzuki Corporation helped sponsor Tropical Land's latest expansion, so they've given us loads of free tickets."

Ran forced a laugh. "Well, to be honest, I don't think Shinichi would agree to go. He's been away for a while, working on some big case. And you know that stupid mystery otaku. Nothing would interest him unless a crime was involved."

"Jeez, what a loser," Sonoko scoffed. "Alright then, how about your replacement husband?"

Ran paused for a moment. Sonoko was referring to that person, right? No, why would she think that? "W-who are you talking about, Sonoko?" Ran asked, fairly certain that she already knew the answer.

"The brat in glasses, of course!" Sonoko laughed.

Ran laughed along with her friend. She had already known Sonoko was referring to Conan-kun. But why? "He's only seven years old, Sonoko," Ran muttered nervously. "How does that make any sense?" Somewhere in Ran's mind, she knew it made perfect sense.

"Silly! Not only is he like a miniature Shinichi, always butting into cases where he doesn't belong, but he's also completely in love with you. And didn't you say he came to stay the day Shinichi disappeared? He's the perfect replacement!"

"W-what? Conan-kun is not in love with me!" Ran stammered. Why was she so nervous saying this?

"Sorry, Ran honey, but that kid's got a crush! You'd better nip that one in the bud, or you'll have two detective brats chasing you."

Ran pondered Sonoko's words. It was true; Conan did remind her of Shinichi. A bit. No, a lot. Aside from age, the two were practically identical. She had even gone so far as to think Conan-kun was a shrunken form of Shinichi, not just once, but on several occasions. In the end though, the thought was always too crazy to entertain for very long. How would that even be possible? And even so, Shinichi and Conan-kun had appeared in the same room together, and twice Shinichi had called while Conan stood before her. There was something strange about Conan-kun, but her suspicions would have to rest within her mind until more evidence came to light.

And being suspicious of Conan would only scare him away. She didn't want that. If anything, Ran wanted to be closer to Conan. What did she mean by thinking that? How much closer could they get, considering they already lived together? But there was always this barrier. She couldn't quite grasp what it was, or why. Conan always seemed to hide himself behind the barrier, and she only occasionally saw his true self emerge. Ran smiled to herself. Conan's true self. She had seen it. Fierce, authoritative. Passionate, and caring. Mature, and sometimes tragic. Always selflessly defending others, even at the cost of his own life. Ran, casually resting the side of her face in the palm of her hand, suddenly felt her cheeks grow warm at the thought. Startled, she shook herself from the realm of her thoughts.

Sonoko had paused, awaiting a response to her comment about Conan's crush on Ran. But as Ran's silence on the other line stretched on, Sonoko began to feel very uncomfortable. Perhaps the teasing was getting to be a bit too much? But it wasn't like she meant anything offensive. That silly glasses-wearing brat did have a crush. How was she so sure? Ha! The answer was simple. It was her super skills as the Deduction Queen! She could deduce just about anything from the slightest bit of evidence!

Or so she was told… Sonoko sighed, and began to revisit her doubts about her newfound skill. Around the time that Conan had showed up, she had begun to solve mysteries effortlessly. But she never remembered the cases. It was as if, for each case, she had lost consciousness and been used as a vessel, by some other being, to deliver the truth. Sonoko wondered if this was a supernatural phenomenon.

But why her? Her family was wealthy, but as an individual, Sonoko had a hard time feeling like she was anything special. Her grades were average, and, when compared with Ran, she felt like her looks were quite plain as well. No no no! None of that really matters. Sonoko knew that she was important to her friends. And she had a loving boyfriend too, Kyogoku Makoto. Was it stupid, feeling validated as a person because she was loved by others? No way. Sonoko smiled. Because she cherished them too.

"Sonoko?" Ran's voice tore Sonoko from her thoughts.

"Ran! Ahahaha… Where were we?" Sonoko realized that Ran's awkward silence had only been compounded by her own. But Sonoko was skilled at reviving conversation, especially with Ran. Although Ran complained, Sonoko knew Ran enjoyed her light-hearted teasing. It helped her to laugh, even when Ran thought she could not

"You had better send the brat in glasses packing," Sonoko continued, "or you will never fetch yourself a man as fine as mine!" Sonoko lifted her left hand to her mouth and laughed. "Kyaaaaahahahaha!"

Amused at Sonoko's antics, Ran countered with another joke. "Well, seeing as how Shinichi is too stupid to come see me anymore, maybe I should just ditch him and keep Conan-kun around!"

"Or ditch them both!" Sonoko suggested enthusiastically. "Tell you what. Let's go to Tropical Land and hunt for some handsome men for you."

Ran giggled. "Alright, I'll go. But let's leave the man hunt for another day".

"Aw, you're still standing by your husband. How loyal."

"It's not like that," Ran mumbled, flustered.

"Yeah, yeah. Alright, so I'll meet you at the gates at noon?"

Ran considered the time for a moment. "Yeah, that sounds good."

"Alright. I guess I'll let you go for now. But call Shinichi and at least see if he'll come with us."

"Okay."

"Oh, and let me know if he refuses, cause then I'll call him and say you've been kidnapped, and that he needs to go to Tropical Land to save you," Sonoko added deviously.

Ran chuckled to herself. _Although_, she thought to herself, _that's probably the only way he would go_… "I'll be sure to," Ran agreed. "Well, I'll see you later!"

"Bye Ran!"

Ran pressed call end on her phone. Now to call Shinichi. Should she call Shinichi? She already knew what his answer would be. Sorry Ran, I'm on a really difficult case right now. Stupid mystery otaku. But… It wouldn't hurt to try. And if anything, just hearing his voice would help reassure Ran of his safety.

His "big case" seemed to be very dangerous, from what she had pieced together. Shinichi, who was normally arrogant and bragging to the world about his multitude of successful cases, now seemed to be solving cases secretly, asking everyone within the case not to report his involvement. He was so far removed from public view that many people had even begun to suspect he was dead.

Ran knew that wasn't the case, thankfully. But something was different. He used to seem aloof simply because he was trying to be cool. But on the few occasions Ran had seen Shinichi recently, he seemed distant for another reason. Shinichi seemed fearful, terrified even. Almost as if he was too scared to get close to Ran, for fear that something dreadful would happen.

And on top of everything else, Shinichi seemed to have suffered a severe decline in his health. It was such a strange thing to consider; Shinichi, of all people, being unwell. He had always been very healthy, and active in sports like Ran. Where she had her karate, Shinichi was incredibly skilled in football. He had been crazy about football as early as when they had first met in primary school. Shinichi would catch the occasional cold, but he had always been full of vigor and tenacity.

The fact that this wasn't typical of Shinichi scared Ran all the more. Every time she had managed to see Shinichi recently, their time together would come to an abrupt halt as soon as his mysterious illness returned. His fever was always terribly high, he would have coughing fits, his entire body would spasm, and he had thrown up that time they first met Heiji. Ran was always deeply concerned, but as soon as Shinichi experienced these symptoms, he would always run away and disappear for another eternity. No matter how hard Ran had tried to stay with him, he would always get away…

Okay, now Ran was convinced. She had to call Shinichi.

"I'm home!" Conan called out as he entered the Mouri Detective Agency. He started towards Ran, but upon noticing the phone in her hands, he seated himself patiently on the couch.

Ran turned to smile at Conan. "Welcome home, Conan-kun." Then she turned back to the window. Maybe she was being a bit rude ignoring Conan, but she needed to call Shinichi. She dialed the number and hit send.

Conan's face suddenly contorted in shock. He leapt from the couch and said something about forgetting to return Mitsuhiko's manga, then dashed back out the door. Ran stared after him in confusion. The phone continued to ring. Suddenly Conan burst back in. "Aaaaah, I forgot my bow tie!" After grabbing his bow tie, Conan ran back out. Ran wondered how a bow tie could be all that important for returning manga, but she brushed it off. She was primarily interested in her call with Shinichi.

Shinichi answered Ran's call. "Hey Ran, what's up?"

"Hey Shinichi. H-how are you doing?"

Shinichi paused for a moment. "I'm alright. How are things over there?"

"Pretty good, I guess. Conan was acting a bit strange earlier…"

"Ah – well… He's just a kid. I wouldn't take anything he does too seriously."

"But you know," Ran giggled. "Maybe he's acting strange because he has a crush on me!"

"Ah! It's not like that, Ran!" Shinichi shouted defensively.

"Eh? What are you getting so worked up about?" Ran asked. "Don't tell me you're jealous of Conan-kun?"

Shinichi laughed inwardly. "Heh. Umm… Ah, no. Not exactly… That is to say-"

Ran raised her eyebrows challengingly. "You're sure eloquent today."

"Oi, oi! Give me a break! I was dealing with brats all morning, and I'm completely burnt out."

"Are there kids involved in the case?"

Shinichi paused. "You could say that," he admitted.

"What's that supposed to mean?" Ran asked testily.

"Ah, nothing, nothing. Anyway, did you have anything to say, Ran?"

"Jeez, if you don't like talking to me, just say so," Ran teased.

"Ah, no! N-No, that's not it!" Shinichi stammered.

Ran laughed at Shinichi's indignation. "I'm just teasing. Anyway, Sonoko has free tickets to go to Tropical Land, and I was wondering if you wanted to go."

Shinichi sighed. "Umm, Ran. I'm kind of wrapped up in this case-"

"Well, if you're burnt out, then maybe some recreation would be good for you right now. You know, working all day every day is bad for your health."

"Barou! I don't need any lectures on health from the girl who passed out in New York for worrying too much instead of sleeping!"

"Well – at least try to take it easy…" Ran paused. "So, are you sure you can't go?"

There was a long pause. "I – I'm sorry, Ran..." Shinichi's tone had gone from playful teasing to one of wistful earnestness. "I would love to go to Tropical Land with you. But… But I need to finish this case first. When I finish this case, I'm going to make it up to you. I promise, Ran."

Ran listened intently, silently concluding that there was something very wrong with this case. Shinichi's behavior was too abnormal for any old mystery. Ran was worried, but she had also realized that Shinichi wasn't going to tell her anything. He would love to go to Tropical Land with her. Would he really? Yes. There was no mistaking the sincerity in his voice. This case seemed to prevent Shinichi from even being able to go on a simple trip to a theme park. What kind of case could it be?

Ran forced a laugh. "Shinichi…" Ran's voice had taken on a more serious tone as well. "You don't have to be so dramatic, Shinichi." Ran was disappointed, but she understood. Well, she actually did not understand anything, but she felt that Shinichi had a reason. And that feeling would have to suffice until Shinichi could tell her the full story.

There was a long pause.

"Shinichi?" Ran called into the phone.

No answer.

"Oi, Shinichi! Are you just messing with me?"

Suddenly Ran's father, Mouri Kogoro, burst into the room. He was holding a red-faced Conan by the suspenders. Conan, noticeably embarrassed and struggling to be free of the man's grasp, held his bow tie in one hand and his keitai in the other.

Kogoro tossed Conan onto the floor. "Stupid brat. If you sit in front of the agency talking to your little girlfriend on the phone, you're going to scare away all my customers!"

Conan stood up and brushed himself off. "Gomen, Occhan…" Conan looked sorrowfully at the ground.

Kogoro did not know how to respond to this. Child care wasn't one of his strong points. "Well… uh… Don't do it again. Anyway, don't cause too much trouble for Ran. I'm going upstairs."

"Haaaaaaai!" Conan replied in a playful, childish tone. He made his way towards Ran, who was still standing beside Kogoro's desk, yelling into her phone. Kogoro took one last befuddled glance at Conan before leaving the room.

"Ran-neechan, what are you doing?" Conan inquired innocently, blinking his big blue eyes up at Ran.

At the sound of Conan's voice, Ran ceased her yelling and brought the phone's screen at level with her eyes. Ran stared for a moment, and then turned her gaze downward to address Conan. "Gomen, Conan-kun. It seems Shinichi hung up on me. Such a lousy bum, huh?"

"I… I'm sure he didn't mean to," Conan suggested smoothly. "Shinichi-niichan probably got interrupted by someone, so he had to hang up really fast." Conan paused to choose his words. "I'll bet the case he's working on keeps him really busy!" Conan forced a childish smile.

Ran stared at Conan for a moment. "Hmph!" She placed her hands on her hips. "Sometimes I think you give that guy too much credit."

Conan laughed at the comment uneasily. At least Ran didn't seem too worried about him today. That was a good thing. He had seen Ran cry for Shinichi, and it was difficult to bear. Watching the woman he loved, crying for him as he stood beside her, unable to reassure her in any way… It was just too much sometimes. He had loved Ran for a while now. He wasn't sure how long. Since they met? How long ago did they meet? Let's see… They were both 5 at the time, so it had been about twelve years.

Conan smiled to himself. He had been in love with the same girl for twelve years, and he still hadn't worked up enough courage to directly confess his love. He had implied it as Shinichi with what he had said to Ran in London, but even then, he had avoided a direct statement of his feelings. Why was it so hard to tell her? Well, after being shrunk by the men clothed in black and reduced to the seven-year-old Edogawa Conan, he needed to get back to his real body, the high school detective Kudo Shinichi, to confess to Ran. Would he ever get there?

"Ano… Conan-kun?" Ran began. She thought of Sonoko's words.

"What is it, Ran-neechan?" Conan asked, looking up at his childhood friend.

Ran knelt down to Conan's eye level. "How would you like to go to Tropical Land with me and Sonoko? She's got free tickets for us." Ran smiled sweetly.

Conan stared at Ran's smiling face. She was so beautiful. The morning sun coming through the window danced through her brown hair, setting arbitrary strands alight with newfound splendor. Her eyes twinkled with both profound compassion and obstinate fervor. "I would love to go to Tropical Land with you," Conan replied with a warm, sincere smile.

Ran looked taken aback for a moment. Conan's expression seemed far too mature for a seven-year-old boy. And that phrasing...

Noticing Ran's confusion, Conan immediately leapt into the air. "Wheee! I love going on rides!" he shouted excitedly.

Ran placed her hand on Conan's shoulder. "Alright, then go get a jacket and we'll catch the next bus from here."

"Haaaaaaaai!"

As Conan left the room to go upstairs, Ran stood up and smiled. There it was. She had seen it again. Conan's true self.


	2. The Straightforward Trick: Tropical Land

Alright, chapter two is up! I'd like to give a huge thank you to those following this story. This is the first time I've really posted anything I've written online, so it really means a lot to me. Also, a big thank you to MysteriousClue and Out-Of-Control-Authoress for writing me reviews with some very valuable input and suggestions. It was all very helpful! Not much happens in this chapter, but I'm setting up for a murder mystery in the next chapter. I was originally going to end this chapter with the murder, like the episodes always do. But this chapter ended up taking longer than I expected, so I just ended the chapter early. Anyway, on with the story!

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"Oi, what's this?" Sonoko asked, pointing at Conan. "I thought I told you to bring your husband along." Sonoko was wearing one of her famously flashy outfits, a denim miniskirt, maroon blouse, and small black half-jacket. On her feet were black flats with rhinestones on the toe.

Ran was clothed in a much warmer ensemble. She wore dark blue skinny jeans, a pink t-shirt, and a cream-colored jacket. Matching her t-shirt were a pair of simple pink flats. Ran glanced at Conan, and then turned her gaze back to Sonoko. Then, very matter-of-factly, she replied, "But Conan-kun's my replacement husband, remember?"

Ran and Sonoko began laughing as Conan looked on in confusion. Replacement husband? What is this? Conan stared at the ground. _Sonoko and her weird nicknames_, he thought, warmth pouring into his face.

Upon passing through the front gate, Ran reached for Conan's hand. She clasped his left hand in her right and smiled down at him.

"Don't let go of my hand, okay?"

A small exclamation of surprise escaped Conan's lips.

Ran continued, as if in answer to Conan's indignation. "I know you like to run around a lot, Conan-kun. But this park is really big, and I don't want to lose you. So don't let go, okay?"

Conan looked up at Ran. His heart felt like it was sinking in his chest. On the surface, this was only about staying together, so they wouldn't get separated in the crowds. But Ran's words brought Conan's thoughts back to that day. His last day with Ran, before Kudo Shinichi had become Edogawa Conan. Here at Tropical Land, where Ran had indeed lost him.

That time, he had left Ran without a thought. Conan felt a twinge of pain at the idea. But he knew it was true. He had sensed another mystery, and he left Ran to pursue it. Ran would be there when he was done, he had thought. Because Ran was always there. Conan felt Ran's soft fingers clutching his tiny hands. _And she's still here, waiting for me._ Conan bit his lip as his line of thought continued. _When I've never been there for her_.

"Conan-kun?"

_Ran_, Conan thought. _I want to be there for you_. He met Ran's eyes. With his true thoughts concealed behind a child-like smile, he answered. "I won't let go, Ran-neechan."

The group proceeded to try out a few roller coasters. Unfortunately, Conan's stature seemed to pose a problem.

"Eh? Conan-kun's too short for this one too," Ran observed.

"Mou," moaned Sonoko. "Why can't this brat be any taller?"

Conan smiled wryly. _Oi, oi. It's not like I can help it, _he thought to himself.

Ran straightened herself up. "Alright, well, I guess we'll just have to try another ride." Ran pondered the various rides in her head. "When Shinichi and I went here, I think there were a lot of kid-friendly rides on the east side of the park…"

Sonoko furrowed her brow. "But we walked nearly two kilometers to go on this one," she moaned. "Listen, this brat's mature enough. He could just wait for us to ride it really quickly." Sonoko glanced down at Conan. "And then we'll go on all the kiddie rides you want," she added curtly.

"Conan-kun _is_ pretty mature for his age…" Ran agreed. She considered the idea for a moment. But that feeling had been nagging her since she entered the park. That shiver down the back of her spine. The same feeling as when Shinichi left to pursue the man in black. The fear that she would never see him again. And after that day, Shinichi had disappeared from her life. Ran took a deep breath. It hurt just thinking about Shinichi. She had seen him a few times since then, but he seemed so far away. As if, should she reach out to touch him, he would disappear, having been an illusion all along. Was he lost forever?

She felt Conan's delicate hand within her own. Conan-kun, who had come to live with her so unexpectedly, the night Shinichi had vanished. He was a strange little boy, but whenever Conan was around, Ran almost felt as though she didn't miss Shinichi as much. _My little replacement husband_, Ran thought to herself. She could not lose Conan too. She would not. Ran tightened her grip on Conan's hand, as if to reassure herself he was still there.

"I…" Ran began. Her voice wavered. _Stupid_, Ran thought. _Am I really going to start crying over letting go of Conan's hand?_ It was this place. Coming back to the place she had lost him. Ran collected herself and continued. "I can't do that." She took a deep breath and looked down at Conan. "We promised we wouldn't let go," Ran asserted.

Conan and Sonoko had both seen the sadness creep slowly into Ran's expression.

"Ran-neechan…" Conan offered sorrowfully.

Suddenly, Sonoko grabbed Ran's left hand and smiled. "That's right. None of us are letting go. Now let's go on one of those silly kid rides."

Ran smiled and nodded. Sonoko was a good friend. She squeezed Conan's hand. Conan-kun too.

According to the map, there was a section on the east side of the park that was filled with family friendly rides. As the three made their way toward that section, Conan kept a close eye on Ran. She seemed to be doing better now, but he knew she had been thinking about his disappearance. He watched Sonoko and Ran chatter idly about school, gossip, and of course, the herds of men Sonoko was crazy about.

Warmth and a genuine smile slowly returned to Ran's face. She even released Sonoko's hand after a few minutes, although she continued holding onto Conan. _Ran_... Conan's biggest regret from that night wasn't about getting shrunk by the Black Organization. It was Ran's pain that he regretted the most. And the danger he risked bringing upon Ran if his identity was discovered…

They soon arrived at one of the larger children's roller coasters. Ran inspected Conan's height. "Ah, Conan-kun is tall enough!" she remarked cheerfully.

Conan observed the ride as they climbed the stairs toward the loading area. It was a modest ride, clearly intended to provide a gentler roller coaster experience. _If I don't get my body back soon, I'll have to get used to rides like this,_ Conan thought wearily. Each cart, designed to resemble a train, seated four passengers at a time. Two in front, two in back. There were three carts total.

"Wow, these lines are pretty short," commented Sonoko.

"Yeah. There doesn't seem to be much of a crowd today," added Ran.

"It's probably because of the expansion," noted Conan. "They tend to close down many of the rides that are near the construction site to prevent accidents, and most people prefer to go to the park when all of the rides are open." Conan looked down at the park below. "Look, you can see a vast dirt area on that side of the park. They haven't gotten around to paving it yet, but soon all that space will be a part of Tropical Land."

Ran gazed upon the dirt construction area. "That's pretty cool, Conan-kun," she smiled.

"I wonder if that area over there is undergoing expansion too," Sonoko thought aloud. She pointed toward a long strip of dirt winding its way along the outer edge of the park.

"That's the 'Employees Only' path," Conan answered. "The employees themselves use it to get across the park without having to negotiate through large crowds. And the path facilitates the transportation of supplies across the park, eliminating the risk of theft or damage. It's also used for emergencies. If a guest becomes injured, he will be moved to the employee path, usually via backboard, to separate him from the large crowds that are sure to form around an accident. Away from the crowds, the paramedics can easily reach and treat him."

Suddenly Conan stopped. Ran and Sonoko were staring at him, wide-eyed. Conan giggled uneasily. "At least that's what I heard on TV!"

The two girls continued to stare for a minute, until Sonoko broke the silence. "You know Ran," Sonoko began, "I think you let this kid watch WAY too much television. I don't think it's healthy."

Ran laughed. "Maybe," she conceded. But as she said it, Ran began to reflect on the subject. Does Conan really watch that much television? In the mornings, Conan read the entire newspaper as Ran cooked breakfast. After school, Conan always finished his homework quickly and then quietly read one of his books. Other days he would play outside with his friends. _Does_ Conan ever watch TV? Let's see, how about the evenings. Ran and Conan would usually converse over dinner while her father watched Okino Yoko. Conan had watched television on a few occasions, but it was never on a very regular basis.

_Conan does read a lot though_, Ran thought to herself. The newspaper, and an endless supply of books borrowed from Shinichi's library. He's probably too embarrassed to admit how much of a bookworm he is. Ran laughed at the thought. Just like Shinichi; always trying to seem cool.

Suddenly, Ran felt herself clapped on the back. "That's right. Keep the kids away from television. It rots their brains."

Ran whirled around to find herself facing a dark-skinned man in his early twenties, easily a head taller than her. Despite his thin frame, he appeared to have well-developed muscles. His head was neatly shaved, and, as if to compensate for being the only hairs on his head, his eyebrows were thick and dark. He wore a hoodie for Beika University, and loose-fitting jeans. He had a firm jaw and a steady gaze. Beside him looked to be another college student. The two had just taken their place in line for the roller coaster.

Conan eyed the newcomers warily. Ran had been staring at the taller one for a while now. Why? He wasn't anything special. Conan frowned. And wasn't he being too friendly, placing his hand on some random girl's back? Conan tugged on Ran's hand that he had been holding. "I'm hungry!" he shouted.

Ran turned to face Conan. "I'm sorry, Conan-kun!" Ran replied apologetically. "Let's get some food as soon as we finish this ride."

The shorter man stepped forward at Conan's comment. He knelt down and put his hand upon Conan's shoulder. "Aw, look at this brave little man. He's not really hungry. He's just protecting his sister from the charms of this flirtatious buffoon," he joked, pointing his thumb back towards his companion.

"Oh we aren't related," Ran affirmed, smiling politely. "I just take care of Conan-kun since his parents are overseas."

With his hand still on Conan's shoulder, the young man looked from Conan to Ran and back again. A sly grin spread across his face. "Oh, I see," he mused, continuing to stare into Conan's eyes. Conan felt his face grow warm under the scrutiny. "Don't worry," he continued, winking. "Your secret's safe with me!"

Conan looked taken aback at the comment. _This guy was sharp!_ Standing at around Ran's height, he was the shorter of the two. He was probably younger, since his voice was much higher. He shared his friend's dark skin, but he was thinner and with smaller muscles. His brown hair was short and feathered, like that of Sato-keiji, and his eyebrows were thin and tidy. He wore a fitted yellow sweater and grey skinny jeans. He had a narrow face and glassy eyes. _Ah re?_ Conan noticed that both students were wearing muddy athletic shoes and carried identical Track bags.

"Aw, quit giving the kid a hard time, Hiromi!" the taller companion moaned. "And since when am I a flirtatious buffoon? That hurt, you know."

Hiromi laughed and stood up, promptly slapping his companion's shoulder lightly. "Sorry, Yuuta! I tease because I love!"

The antics between Hiromi and Yuuta continued for a time. Conan watched them intently. There was something he was missing. What was it? What wasn't he noticing?

As Ran, Sonoko, and Conan reached the front of the line, several more guests had arrived behind Hiromi and Yuuta, making the line quite long. The attendant beckoned to them as the four-seated roller coaster arrived at the loading area. Ran pulled Conan toward the two back seats.

Sonoko folded her arms across her chest. "Aw, I guess I'm sitting alone," she sighed, seating herself in the front.

"Sorry, Sonoko," Ran apologized. "Conan-kun's just a kid, so I don't want him sitting by himself."

The attendant pointed at Yuuta and Hiromi, now at the front of the line. "Do either of you want to ride now?" he asked. "The line's getting long, so I'd rather not leave empty seats."

"Ah, w-well," Yuuta stammered. "We were planning to ride together…"

"It's fine!" Hiromi interrupted. "All that matters is we both enjoy the ride, right?" Hiromi smiled, flicked Yuuta's chin, and trotted over to the front seat by Sonoko. "I'll see you at the bottom!"

"Y-yeah, I'll see you," Yuuta agreed. As the cart pulled away, Conan saw him smile nostalgically.

The ride began with a steep incline. The cart climbed up the track, bringing the group higher and higher above the park. Upon reaching the peak, Conan felt Ran's hold on his hand tighten. In the front seat, Hiromi suddenly grabbed onto Sonoko's hand. _Oi, oi_, Conan thought, _Are you sure your friend is the one who's a flirtatious buffoon_? But Sonoko, nervous herself, seemed relieved to hold onto someone. The cart lurched forward into a sharp decline. Before fully descending, it turned sharply to the left and right, and through twists and turns. The cart again undertook an incline and subsequent steep descent before finding its way back to its original starting position.

The four climbed out of the car, hurried along by the attendant. They followed the path to the exit, where they were met with several digital screens displaying pictures taken during the ride. Their picture appeared quite rapidly. In the front, Sonoko and Hiromi were clinging tightly to one another, both closing their eyes. Conan looked toward the back of the picture. Ran was similarly squinting, as Conan sat beside her, staring ahead with a blank expression.

Hiromi regarded the picture for a moment. "Aw, what a cute picture!" he finally exclaimed. "Can I buy this one?" he asked the clerk.

_Oi oi! _Conan thought. _This guy doesn't even know us!_

Ran and Sonoko seemed uneasy as well. Ran politely approached Hiromi as he handed his money to the clerk. "Ano…" Ran began. "Wouldn't you rather buy a picture with your friend in it?"

Hiromi stared for a moment, suddenly aware of Ran's discomfort. He smiled at Ran warmly. "I'm sorry! I should probably explain."

Hiromi unzipped a pouch on the side of his Track bag, reached in, and produced a handful of pictures from the same roller coaster. He selected the first picture in the pile. In the front of the cart sat a ten-year-old boy who closely resembled Yuuta. Clinging onto him and about his age was a girl with long pigtails tied in pink ribbons. In the back was a seven-year-old boy who looked very much like Hiromi, and next to him was a cheerful woman. Most likely Hiromi's mother, given the close resemblance.

"This was my first roller coaster ride," Hiromi said thoughtfully. "My mom," Hiromi continued, pointing at the woman in back, "bought me this picture to commemorate the occasion. I didn't know Yuuta at the time." Hiromi pointed at the boy in front. "But he was forced to ride with us because they wanted to move the line along. When I started middle school, I accidentally ran into this one boy, and his papers went flying. Among the papers I was helping to pick up, there was the picture of my first roller coaster ride!"

Conan frowned. He was missing something. What was it?

Ran and Sonoko smiled enthusiastically. "And…?" Ran prompted. "Is that how you met Yuuta?"

"Yeah," Hiromi replied. "We became best friends after that. We went on to high school together, and now we're both students at Beika University. So we always buy the pictures from this ride… Just in case fate sends another surprise our way."

Ran sighed happily. "That's so beautiful! It's such a romantic story, Hiromi-chan!"

Conan stared blankly for a moment. _Chan?_ Conan looked up at Hiromi. He knew he had been missing something earlier. Hiromi… was a girl. He looked back at Hiromi's picture. The boy sitting beside Hiromi's mother looked enough like Hiromi, but he was too young to have met Yuuta in middle school. He must have been a younger sibling. That means… Conan looked at the pigtailed girl clinging to Yuuta in the front. That girl was Hiromi!

_What made me assume she was a boy? _Conan wondered to himself. Hiromi could have been a girl or a boy's name. Her hair _was_ short. That may have confused him. Conan noticed Hiromi's chest. She was completely flat. But there must have been something else. There was something else that had made him conclude the incorrect gender. What was it?

Just then, Yuuta appeared from the ride exit. Like Hiromi, he proceeded to purchase his ride photo. "You brought those silly pictures today?" he asked, eying the stack of pictures in Hiromi's hands.

"Of course!" Hiromi replied. "And you would too, if you knew what today was."

Yuuta looked smug. "Well, maybe I'll figure it out later," he said calmly. Yuuta unzipped his Track bag and added the newly purchased picture to its contents. _Ah re?_ Conan caught a glimpse of something.

"Well, we should probably leave you two alone," Ran suggested thoughtfully.

Sonoko nodded. "And we've been on our feet since noon. I'd like to go sit down for a bit," she added.

"Hey!" Hiromi suddenly exclaimed. "We were just about to meet up with the rest of our group to watch a show in the auditorium. Would you like to join us?"

"They're actually really good shows," Yuuta added enthusiastically. "Hiromi worked a few summers here as a stagehand, so I went to see almost all of the shows then."

Ran paused for a moment as she entertained the offer. "That sounds like fun," Ran smiled. "Would you like that, Conan-kun?"

"Y-yeah," Conan agreed hesitantly. _I want to keep Ran smiling_, he thought.


	3. The Straightforward Trick: Ice Cream

Hooray, chapter three is here! Once again, I'd like to thank those following this story, and for the favorites! Also, thank you bubblyangel101 and Gamer AlchemistZ for the reviews! They help keep me writing. We're about to have the story's first mystery, so I hope it goes over well. There is a brief moment between Ran and Conan that I want to mention really quick. It's supposed to be cute and innocent, but I realized later that it can be taken the wrong way. I did not intend anything dirty, so I sincerely hope that nobody is uncomfortable with it. Please let me know if it bothers anyone, and I will change it.

_Wow_, Conan thought to himself. _This auditorium is huge!_ The building was plastered with advertisements for the various shows it hosted. According to the numerous signs, the next show would start at 4:00 PM. On the front of the auditorium was a large clock. _Probably displayed to prevent visitors from constantly asking the time,_ Conan reasoned sarcastically. _Ah re?_ It was only 3:00.

"It may be a bit early," Yuuta admitted, "but they stop handing out tickets pretty fast." He scanned the crowd. "Maeda-san and Ito-san should be here in a few minutes. Tell you what, I'll just go grab tickets for all of us now, so we don't have to worry later. I'll be back in a few minutes." With that, Yuuta left the group.

Hiromi giggled at Yuuta's business-like demeanor. "He's always making sure everything is perfect." She checked the auditorium clock. "Actually, I was thinking of buying some ice cream before the show starts. How about I get some for the three of you?"

Ran, Sonoko, and Conan agreed hesitantly, but quickly expressed their gratitude.

"Alright, then I'll be back." Hiromi turned to leave.

"Ah, wait, oneesan!" Conan called out. Hiromi turned back to the group as Conan continued. "We don't know what your friends look like, so…" Conan smiled innocently and shrugged.

Hiromi stared for a moment, then slapped her head in jest. "Oh! No need to worry!" she exclaimed. "Actually, they're meeting us in front of this bench, so they'll come to this exact spot," she asserted. She turned around once more. "See ya!" she shouted, making her way to a nearby ice cream vendor.

Yuuta returned with the tickets, now followed by two older men, probably in their fourties or fifties. "Eh?" Yuuta exclaimed. He looked around.

"If you're looking for Hiromi-neesan, she went to go buy ice cream," Conan quipped.

Yuuta laughed. "Yeah, that sounds like her. Anyway, here's the rest of our group." Yuuta gestured towards the older men with him. "They're both employed by the university. This guy is Maeda Naoto, and this is Ito Shouhei."

Conan silently wondered why the two university students had elected to go to the park with the older men.

Maeda-san, a tall, heavyset man with a round face, seemed to be in his mid-forties. Despite his receding hairline, his remaining hair was dark and curly. He wore a red button-down shirt, black slacks, and unpolished dress shoes. Conan noticed that he carried a large black bag. Probably very heavy, as the large man was bending under the weight.

Conan shifted his focus to Ito-san. His age was probably closer to fifty, and he was shorter than the girls. While not as large as Maeda-san, Ito-san was slightly overweight, with most of his fat accumulated near his stomach. Abundant black hair covered his wrinkled scalp, and before his eyes were a pair of thick, square spectacles.

Yuuta continued with his introductions. "These are some friends Hiromi picked up with our silly roller coaster story," he stated, pointing his arm towards the Ran, Sonoko, and Conan. "Ano…" he began. "What were your names again?"

Ran stepped forward. "I'm Mouri Ran. This is my friend Suzuki Sonoko, and…" Ran looked down at Conan fondly. "This is Ku-" She suddenly stopped.

Conan looked up at her fearfully. What had she intended to say before she stopped? Surely not Kudo Shinichi! No. There was no way Ran could know at this point. Right? He studied her face. Ran appeared just as surprised with her mistake as Conan. But Ran continued to stare at him intently, saying nothing.

Noting the silence, Sonoko turned to Conan as well. "Ah!" she suddenly exclaimed. "What happened to your glasses?"

What? Conan felt his face. They were gone! Not good!

"Oh, that's rough, kid," Yuuta winced. "I probably should have said something. People lose their glasses on that ride all the time."

Ran shook herself free of her confusion. "Sorry!" she laughed. "I spaced out for a minute there." She looked back at Conan. "This is Edogawa Conan. And it seems we need to get him a new pair of glasses," she added, smiling.

Conan sighed. Crisis averted. It was because he had lost his glasses. He looked more like Kudo Shinichi without them. He had to be careful until he got another pair…

Everyone conversed casually for a few minutes, and Hiromi soon came into view, holding a tray precariously arranged with several ice cream cones. When Hiromi caught sight of Yuuta, she began to run excitedly.

"Yuuta! Guess what Rina-chan said about-"

Suddenly, Hiromi tripped on the pavement and fell backwards. The tray went flying, sending the ice cream into the air. On its descent, the ice cream fell directly onto Hiromi's yellow sweater.

Everyone looked on in surprise.

Yuuta rushed forward to help Hiromi up. "Mataku, what am I going to do with you?" he commented jokingly. As Hiromi stood up, the cones fell to the ground, leaving behind a sweater covered in spots of ice cream.

Hiromi regarded her dirty sweater. "Mou," she sighed. "Guess I'll go wash up before the show." She made her way towards the building for the bathrooms, conveniently located beside the auditorium.

After Hiromi left, Ito-san looked at Yuuta gravely. "You're doing it today, right?" Behind the old man's thick spectacles, Conan saw immense pain.

Yuuta nodded. "Yeah." He smiled nostalgically. "And hopefully there will be a few more surprises today."

Ito-san looked at the ground, his hand balled into a fist. In a weak voice, he said, "Alright, I'd better go to the bathroom."

Conan stared after him. Something was wrong…

Ran had noticed it too. "Will he be okay?" Ran asked.

Yuuta laughed. "Oh yeah, he'll be fine. Every time he has to sit still for a long time, he goes to the bathroom about fifty minutes previous." He glanced up at the large auditorium clock. "Right on schedule," Yuuta laughed.

"And he always takes forever," Maeda-san added with a mischievous grin.

Yuuta grinned. "Well, he's old, so I'll let him off the hook for that."

"Oi!" retorted Maeda-san. "You'd better watch what you say about us old folk."

"But I'm a bit curious," Sonoko cut in. "What are you old men doing with these university students?"

Yuuta took on Sonoko's question. "You have a point there," he admitted. "Actually, Ito-san is my coach. I'm the captain of Beika University's Track team, and Maeda-san here comes every now and then to photograph us." Yuuta patted his Track bag. "We spend a lot of time together with daily practices and weekly races. Also, as captain, I have to work closely with Ito-san on planning the team roster and Meet schedule. So we just ended up hanging out a lot."

"And Hiromi-neesan is also on the team, right?" Conan proposed confidently.

Yuuta bit his lip. "Actually, no," he said uneasily. He paused, seeming to choose whether or not to continue speaking.

"Oh," Conan remarked pensively. "Then, your matching Track bags-?"

For a moment, Yuuta looked taken aback. "You're pretty observant, kid!" He sighed. "Nah, we got these together in high school."

Conan furrowed his brow.

"But Ito-san and I still know Kuroki-san very well," Maeda-san cut in. "She watches Yuuta practice, and she never misses a single one of his races."

Yuuta nodded. "She even woke up at 5:00 AM this morning to watch me train on the trails. It was a bit wet though," Yuuta added in embarrassment, looking down at his muddy running shoes. He placed his hand on the back of his head. "Yup, she's always watching me!"

"Don't get too full of yourself," Hiromi remarked, suddenly appearing from behind Yuuta.

Yuuta whirled around to face Hiromi. "Ah, no. Of course not," he said nervously.

Hiromi smiled energetically. "Alright, well I'm going to try getting ice cream one more time," she sighed. She looked at the clock. "3:19, okay. I've got time."

"Ah, you don't have to get us any this time," Ran called after her.

_She probably didn't hear me,_Ran thought. If Hiromi-chan tried to bring back that much ice cream a second time, there would probably be trouble. Should she go help her? Ran looked around._Well…_ She didn't even know where Hiromi-chan had gone.

And something was bothering Ran. She looked at Conan-kun. He seemed to be his everyday self, just without his glasses. Why was it so strange though? Maybe she was just used to Conan wearing glasses… Wearing them all the time, even while sleeping and bathing. Such an odd habit…

Yuuta excused himself to go to the bathroom. _I should probably go sometime before the show starts_, Ran thought.

No, focus. This was important. What was she about to say, when she was introducing Conan? _This is Ku-_… Ran considered her words. The name in her head had been Kudo Shinichi. That's what she had wanted to say before she stopped herself. Why would she make such a mistake?

They were similar, no doubt about it. And… She looked at Conan. Without his glasses, he looked exactly like Shinichi. Sonoko had noticed too. How similar they were… But she knew Conan was Conan, and Shinichi was Shinichi. Why would she introduce Conan like that? When she knew he was Conan?

Ran frowned. Something inside of her told her that she was wrong. He is not Conan. On the surface she knew he was Conan. But Conan felt wrong… And Shinichi felt right.

Conan felt Ran's eyes on him. He needed his glasses! He didn't have them. But he needed something. Anything to keep Ran from suspecting him.

Yuuta returned from the bathroom within a few minutes. _Ah re?_ He seemed very nervous.

"Okay," Yuuta announced. "I'm going to go take care of some things." He immediately turned and ran from the group.

Maeda-san watched Yuuta leave. Before anyone could ask after Yuuta, Maeda-san quickly remarked, "I should probably go to the bathroom before the show starts."

With that, Maeda-san rushed off to the bathroom. Ran, Sonoko, and Conan exchanged confused looks. _Oi, oi,_ Conan thought. _What's the point of going to a park together if you're just going to run off and do your own thing?_

Conan remembered his last night with Ran at Tropical Land. Running off. Doing his own thing. Leaving Ran behind. He was always leaving Ran, wasn't he? Conan closed his eyes for a minute. This guilt wasn't going away until he could tell Ran the truth. Would it be so bad, telling her? Would Ran truly be in greater danger simply by knowing his secret?

"Awesome! 3:34! I made it back before the show started!"

Conan opened his eyes. Hiromi had returned from getting ice cream, but she only carried one cone this time.

Hiromi looked at the cone in her hand. "Sorry, ladies," she panted slowly. "I ran out of money, but I didn't want to let Conan-kun down."

"That's so nice of you!" Ran exclaimed. "We felt awful that you tripped on our account."

"Well, it was mostly my fault," Hiromi admitted sheepishly. "I got a little clumsy in my excitement." She bent down to hand Conan the ice cream.

"Th-Thank you, onesan!" Conan said as childishly as he could. He felt bad that Hiromi had bothered to get ice cream for him, but he had to keep Ran from suspecting his identity.

Hiromi smiled down at Conan. "You are very welcome!" She proceeded to kneel down and whisper to Conan. "And be sure to share with Ran-chan."

_Eh?_ Conan cocked his head to the side in confusion.

"You know," Hiromi continued softly, "girls like it when you share with them." She looked down fondly. "The more you can share together, the closer you become." Hiromi winked. "Alright?"

Listen to Hiromi coaching him. As if he were a child with an impossible crush. _I'm not a child, and I don't have a crush_. Well… He looked up at Ran. Hiromi's words did have meaning. The ice cream didn't matter, but… The pain he caused Ran. It was because she could no longer share anything with Shinichi. They could no longer share their time, their triumphs, their tragedies. Because Shinichi wasn't there. Conan frowned.

He hadn't even shared his secret, after all this time. Because he was protecting Ran! Was he really? Putting her through this pain every day? Resorting to clever trickery whenever she suspected him? Wearing those silly glasses…? Was it really protecting her?

Conan studied the ice cream in his hand. _Ice cream, how childish. And yet…_

"Ran…neechan," he muttered nervously.

Ran turned his way expectantly.

"Will… Will you share this ice cream with me?" It was the least he could do…

"Eh?" Ran was sufficiently surprised. Hiromi smiled contentedly. Sonoko stood frozen in shock.

_Conan-kun_, Ran thought. _Ice cream_? Although unexpected, the question had felt so real. Conan always seemed like he was speaking from behind a wall. Beneath some child-like façade. But here he was. Genuinely asking her. The real Conan.

Ran blushed at the thought. _But it's only Conan-kun!_ No. But…

Sonoko managed to recover before her friend. "H-Hey! What is the meaning of this, kid?" she demanded.

Conan felt his face grow hotter. Why had he asked Ran such a thing? But he had wanted to. He wanted to share something, anything with Ran. He looked at the ice cream cone in his right hand. His hand that stretched toward Ran.

Suddenly, Ran knelt down before Conan. Her right hand had been linked to Conan's left since noon, but now she clasped his right hand that held the ice cream cone. She bent her head slowly and sampled the ice cream with the tip of her tongue.

Ran and Conan's faces, only inches apart, were deep red. Sonoko and Hiromi exchanged glances. "D-Delicious!" Ran suddenly exclaimed, as if to break the silence. "Thank you, Conan-kun."

Hiromi's meddling had taken an unexpected turn. She nervously cleared her throat. "So!" At Hiromi's sudden outburst, Ran quickly stood up, releasing Conan's right hand. "It looks like the show's about to start! Where have all the guys gone off to?"

_Ah re?_ It was true. The men had been gone for a long time, and the doors would open any minute.

"Maeda-san went to the bathroom, and Yuuta-kun ran off in that direction," Sonoko attested, pointing in the general direction of the park exit.

Hiromi looked worried. "I see…" she said softly.

But the image of Yuuta soon came into view. He was running across the park toward them, his Track bag flapping along his side. Yuuta eventually returned to the group, panting heavily.

"Where were you?" Hiromi questioned.

Yuuta smiled, recovering quickly. "You'll see," he replied.

Hiromi blinked in confusion. Just then, Maeda-san made his way slowly back to the group as well.

"Yoshi," Yuuta began. He glanced at the auditorium. "Four o'clock. The doors are opening. Shall we head in?"

"Ah, wait!" Conan shouted. "Ojiisan is still in the bathroom. We should probably tell him the show is starting."

Yuuta nodded. "I'll go get him," he offered.

Yuuta trotted over to the building beside the auditorium. He passed through the front door and turned left towards the men's side. The group waited patiently for a few minutes.

Suddenly, from the bathrooms came a terrified scream.

_Kuso!_ Almost immediately, Conan released his left hand from Ran's grip and raced toward the bathrooms.

Ran didn't move, as if rooted to the spot. Her eyes were filled with fear. _He's leaving,_ Ran thought to herself. The feeling was all too familiar.

Conan and Ran's ice cream cone lay forgotten upon the ground.


	4. The Straightforward Trick:The 30th Stall

Hey everyone! I know I might sound like a broken record at this point, but I want to continue thanking everyone for the story alerts, favorites, and reviews. I can't say it enough, but I really appreciate it. And to whoever left me the anonymous review, thank you thank you thank you! =)

Also, I need some input from you guys, particularly the major Shiho (Haibara) fans. This is going to be a ShinRan story. I absolutely love Shiho, but she is not for Shinichi. Sorry. But I do want Shiho to end up with someone special. I started developing some backstory and cute moments with this one character I'd like to see her end up with, but then I remembered that there is a lot of tension regarding with whom Shiho should be paired. Since I definitely do not want to unleash the rage of Shiho fans (which is quite terrifying), please let me know who YOU want Shiho to end up with (via private message). I don't want her to end up with Mitsuhiko though. Sorry AiXMitsuhiko fans. So… Please private message me with the lucky man you want Shiho to be paired with. Thanks!

* * *

Conan rushed into the men's bathroom. He quickly caught sight of Yuuta, standing in front of the thirtieth and last bathroom stall from the entrance, a look of sheer horror on his face. Conan raced toward the stall. Seated against the wall beside the toilet, his body still and lifeless, was Ito Shouhei.

"Call an ambulance and the police!" Conan roared at Yuuta.

Yuuta, still shocked from the sight, fumbled awkwardly for his keitai.

_Dead,_ Conan thought as he bent to examine the body. A syringe was stuck into Ito-san's arm, but it had already been emptied. _A lethal injection?_ Either way, there was no point in removing it at this point.

The young detective positioned his head sideways with his ear over Ito-san's mouth, two fingers over the carotid artery, and with his eyes watching the chest. Even if he knew Ito-san was dead, he was going to make sure. The chest did not rise, breath did not escape the mouth, and blood did not pulse through the carotid. _Definitely dead_. Was he revivable? Conan felt the body. No. He had been dead for at least thirty minutes. _Kuso._ He punched the floor.

Conan informed Yuuta that an ambulance was not necessary; only the police. Yuuta accepted the statement readily. He was probably too much in shock to question the young boy's word.

Was this a murder? Conan looked down at the body. Or was it suicide? He had seen Ito-san alive and breathing only fifty minutes previous. _Come to think of it, _Conan thought. _Ito-san was behaving rather strangely before he left for the bathroom._ His weak voice, the pain in his eyes. Conan returned his focus to the body. He would have to examine it thoroughly.

Most apparent was the syringe. Had it been used to administer a lethal injection? The skin around the syringe was black and stiff. _Cell death around the site of injection… otherwise known as necrosis._

There was also the body's position to consider. Ito-san was seated against the wall. His arms hung limp at his sides, and the legs stretched straight out in front of him. He seemed to have died fairly peacefully. _Ah re?_ The hair was matted a bit. Could it be? Yes. Ito-san was bleeding from the back of his head. Perhaps he hit it while falling against the wall? Or maybe…

Conan continued to examine the body. The extremities were cold, and the skin was clammy. Conan felt the head. It was significantly warm. He compared the temperature to his own head with the back of his hand. Warmer than normal. This was probably hypotension. There was more. The skin had an overall blue discoloration, indicative of hypoxia. So the contents of the injection had probably caused the heart and lungs to stop functioning.

Peaceful death, hypotension, hypoxia, necrosis at the site of injection…

The answer suddenly shot through Conan's mind. _I see! So that's it!_ Conan frowned and regarded the body. But if that was the case, then this was no suicide, but a murder!

"Conan-kun?" Ran ventured uneasily.

"Eh?" Conan turned towards the sound. Maeda-san, Hiromi, Sonoko, and Ran stood in the doorway. They had probably arrived in the last few minutes. Yuuta stood between them and the bathroom. Given his position, he had probably prevented the group from entering. But judging from their shocked faces, Yuuta had already disclosed what had happened.

Ran struggled to find words, but Hiromi stepped forward. "Yuuta, get Conan out of there," she commanded, her voice soft but fierce.

Yuuta, calming down from his shock, seemed to notice Conan in the bathroom for the first time. He picked Conan up effortlessly and started toward the door. The group made their way silently to the building entrance. Conan found himself facing the ground as Yuuta carried him from the bathroom. _Ah re?_ Conan continued to look down. _That is certainly strange. Then… Could that person be the murderer? But…_ _It was so straightforward. How could that alone be the murderer's trick?_ _And didn't that person…_

A realization suddenly flashed through Conan's mind. _Ah, so that's how it is! _A sly smile crept onto Conan's face. _Everything makes sense now. And the employer of this straightforward trick… is that person!_

As the group departed the restroom building, park security was already arriving. Three golf carts pulled up, each seating two park employees. They climbed out and proceeded to close off the bathrooms.

Conan turned toward the auditorium. He was confident in his deduction, but he would have to rule out every possibility in order to prove this murder. The murder was fairly straightforward, but without the proper evidence, the culprit could easily be overlooked. Conan recited Holmes's quote to himself. _"If you rule out the impossible, then whatever remains, however improbable, must be the truth."_ _Yoshi,_ Conan thought. _Time to go to work._

He started running in the direction of the auditorium, but he suddenly felt a tug on his arm. His body lurched forward, but the tug kept him from falling. Conan turned to find a bewildered Ran staring down at him.

"Conan-kun," Ran said softly. "Please don't go."

She didn't say anything about losing him in crowds. She didn't mention the sudden death of Ito-san. She didn't command him as his guardian. She said nothing but those three words. Simply asking him to stay.

Conan stood frozen on the spot for what seemed to be an eternity. He was at a loss for what to say. Wasn't this just what he always regretted? Leaving Ran to pursue his mysteries? And he was doing it again. Whenever a mystery reared its head, he would completely throw himself into it until it was solved, utterly ignoring everything else.

Even if he were Shinichi now, would he really be by Ran's side? Most likely, he would still be running away from Ran to solve the mystery. Could their relationship ever really work if his cases took such precedence? Ran was always waiting for him. Didn't she deserve someone to always be there for her? But if Shinichi couldn't be there, could he stand to see Ran in the embrace of another?

Ran continued to hold Conan's hand tightly. "Ne," Ran proposed apprehensively. "I don't want to ruin your fun, Conan-kun." She blushed. "But maybe you could make me a part of it?" Ran smiled entreatingly.

Could that be what Ran wanted with Shinichi as well? It sounded so simple. But he couldn't include her. It would only put Ran in danger. _Chikusho._ Even now, if Ran accompanied him to solve the case, she might discover his identity, and she could become targeted by the Black Organization.

Conan glanced up at Ran. Still, it couldn't be helped. Ran wasn't going to let him run off alone, and the case needed to be solved. He would have to bring Ran along, and just hope she didn't suspect anything. Was that possible? He had to try.

"Okay Ran-neechan!" Conan suddenly shouted, startling Ran. "I want to go inside the auditorium!"

"Well," Ran began, glancing around the area. "The police should be arriving soon, and we should stick around here to answer their questions."

"Don't worry, Ran-neechan," Conan quickly countered. "I only want to look! I'll be done in five minutes." Conan smiled confidently.

Ran considered Conan's assurance. She didn't exactly trust Conan to stay out of mischief, but as long as she held onto his hand, she wouldn't lose him. "Alright, but only five minutes," Ran agreed cautiously.

They handed their tickets to the clerk and passed through the doors to the auditorium. Ran glanced around the auditorium thoughtfully. Although the show was already in progress, the auditorium was fairly empty. Hundreds of seats filled the room, but only around fifty guests were in attendance. So Yuuta's fears of not getting tickets in time were probably unfounded…

Suddenly, Conan darted down the center aisle, pulling Ran along with him. Ran ducked down as they drew closer to the front. She didn't want to disturb the audience.

"Conan-kun! Wait a minute!" she whispered as they reached the front. The stage was raised three meters from the floor, and the auditorium beneath the stage was dimly lit, so Ran and Conan's presence did not disturb the show. But several eyes in the audience had already turned their way.

Conan ignored Ran's protests and pulled out his keitai.

"Conan-kun, let's go sit down," Ran objected nervously. "I think-"

Conan put his index finger to Ran's lips, and her words stopped dead. He met her eyes and tenderly whispered, "Five minutes, Ran-neechan."

As Conan's delicate finger pressed gently against her lips, Ran felt her body quiver. She looked into Conan's steady, confident eyes. Her heart was racing. And yet she couldn't move. All thoughts of finding seats or meeting the police on time vanished. The stage vanished. The audience vanished. Only Conan remained, kneeling before her.

His finger lingered over Ran's lips for a moment. What was he doing? He had to get his work done! But… Beneath Conan's finger, Ran's lips were soft and warm to the touch. And her pale blue eyes stared deeply into his own. _No. Stop._ This was dangerous, especially without his glasses. Conan drew his finger away shakily and slowly turned his eyes back to his keitai.

He held it up to the audience, his hands shaking. His face was on fire, and his heart was pounding. Steady. Concentrate. There. He silently snapped a picture. He moved his phone. There. He moved it again. Conan continued taking the appropriate pictures for several minutes. All the while, Ran breathed quietly beside him.

Finally, Conan put away his keitai and stood up. He tugged gently on Ran's hand. She stood up swiftly, and they raced wordlessly back up the aisle, followed by the eyes of the audience.

Takagi Wataru of the Tokyo Metropolitan Police nearly fell backwards as the auditorium doors swung only inches from his face. He barely had time to collect himself before Conan and Ran came barreling out, their faces a deep red.

"Ah, Takagi-keiji," Ran greeted him dazedly.

The police detective quickly recovered from the assault. "Ah, just my luck!" Takagi exclaimed. "Suzuki-san told me you two had gone in here, so I was about to go in to look for you."

Ran looked at the auditorium clock nervously. "H-How long have the police been here?" she asked timidly.

Takagi glanced at his watch. "About fifteen minutes," he affirmed. "We've already surveyed the scene, and now we're waiting for Megure-keibu to arrive." He smiled good-naturedly at Ran, and then turned to Conan. "Hopefully your accounts of the event can help us out a bit."

Conan smiled innocently to mask the lingering color in his face. "We'll do our best!" he declared.

Takagi smiled at Conan's childish enthusiasm and turned back to Ran. "Shall w-" He suddenly turned his gaze back to Conan. He blinked twice. "Oh, Conan-kun!" he exclaimed. "I didn't even notice at first, but you look very mature without your glasses."

Ran smiled fondly at Conan, her face still flushed from the auditorium. "He does," she said quietly.

"Maybe a little!" Conan said childishly, rubbing the back of his head._ Oi oi!_ Conan thought to himself. _Don't draw her attention to it!_

Takagi looked at his watch again. "Ah, so," he cut in, "shall we go?"

Ran and Conan nodded nervously, the color slowly fading from their faces.

They returned to the bathroom, and Megure Juzo arrived only minutes later. "Keibu-san," Takagi called out in greeting. He strode across the bathroom to address his superior. "The deceased is Ito Shouhei, age 52," Takagi explained. "He was visiting the park with friends, and was about to go see the four o'clock show in the adjacent auditorium building."

"Alright," Megure acknowledged. "Has Officer Tome identified the cause of death?"

Takagi glanced toward the thirtieth stall. "There was a syringe found in his arm. We're assuming it contained a lethal dose, but we'll have to wait for the labs to determine what it was exactly." Takagi glanced at his notepad. "But it seems the injection caused the surrounding skin to die off and leave a necrotic wound. And his heart and lungs stopped working simultaneously, due to the poison.

"I see…" Megure remarked pensively.

"Oh, and this was found nestled behind the deceased," Takagi quickly added. He held up a plastic bag containing a scrap of paper with its top torn off. On the paper was written, "I am truly sorry for what I did to you".

Megure took the paper in his hands to look at it. "Remorse for what he's done. It seems like a suicide letter," he reasoned.

"Yes sir," Takagi responded. "That's what we were thinking as well."

Megure sighed. "In any case, we'd better check everything thoroughly. Can we contact the friends with whom he planned to see the show?"

Takagi placed his hand on the back of his head nervously. "Ah, well. Funny you should mention it," Takagi laughed.

"Ohayou, Megure-keibu!" came a familiar voice from across the bathroom.

The police inspector looked over to see Edogawa Conan, the boy who always accompanied Mouri-san, smiling sweetly as always, but today without his large glasses. Mouri Ran stood beside him, holding the young boy's hand.

"Well well," Megure began, striding toward Conan and squinting down at him. "If it isn't the little harbinger of death."

Conan giggled innocently, his blue eyes fixed on the suicide letter.

Megure turned back to Takagi. "Don't tell me _he's_ here," Megure growled. "That meddlesome guy who is present at every murder scene…"

Takagi looked at the ground. "N-Not exactly," he answered uneasily.

"But you have much better than that!" a young girl's voice called out. Suddenly, Sonoko twirled gracefully into the bathroom. "Behold, the beautiful deduction queen, Suzuki Sonoko!" she announced arrogantly.

_It's hard to tell which "Sleeping Detective" is worse_, Megure thought to himself.

The group who had earlier accompanied Ito-san shuffled into the room and assembled before Megure.

Takagi went through brief introductions. "This young _lady_ is Kuroki Hiromi, age 20. This is Tanaka Yuuta, age 20. Both of them are students at Beika University. And this man is Maeda Naoto, age 43. He and the deceased were employed by the university as photographer and coach of the Track team." Takagi then gestured toward Ran, Sonoko, and Conan. "And these three joined the group to see the show," he continued.

"Takagi-keiji!" Conan whispered hoarsely.

Takagi looked down at Conan. The young boy beckoned Takagi to kneel. _Here he goes again, _the police detective thought to himself. Takagi knew that Conan's observations were worth listening to. It was difficult to explain, but Conan seemed highly capable of deductive reasoning. And while the simple explanation that Conan was just an intelligent little boy was tempting, Takagi knew it wasn't true. Conan had expertly solved several cases right in front of him, and he had defused that bomb in the elevator with almost no guidance.

And when he asked Conan who he truly was, Conan had given him that cryptic answer that almost confirmed he was more than what he seemed. _I'll tell you, in the next life._ Takagi sighed. He'd much rather know now. The feeling he got from Conan was almost frightening at times.

Takagi knelt to the ground, and Conan proceeded to whisper in his ear.

For a brief moment after Conan had relayed his message, Takagi wondered if he should really be taking orders from a kid. On police time, and with a serious case, no less. _No,_ he told himself. _This is different. This is Conan-kun._

Takagi narrowed his eyes and responded quietly, "Oh, so Suzuki-san asked that I do that?"

Conan nodded. _Give me a break, _Takagi thought. This was coming directly from Conan.

"And also," Conan continued, offering his keitai to Takagi, "you'll find them all on here."

Carefully studying Conan, Takagi took the phone. "I'll see what I can find," Takagi agreed slowly. He proceeded to grab three more officers and slip out of the bathroom.

* * *

Sock Monsta, that is a good point about the glasses. While I try not to be a sloppy writer, I guess I forgot about the lack of glasses for a bit, so thank you for pointing that out. I edited in some simple observations by Takagi and Megure. I hope they don't seem too out of place. Thanks again!


	5. The Straightforward Trick: Suspects

Chapter five is here! I'm truly enjoying writing this story, and whenever I see new story alerts, favorites, and reviews, it really lights up my day. You guys really inspire me, and I am very grateful for all the support. Thank you Setoglomper, Pu7o, Sock Monsta, and the anonymous reader for your reviews, and thank you Gamer AlchemistZ for the continual encouragement! Also, sorry if this last chapter took a while to come out. My two best friends just came home from summer session at their respective universities, so I've been spending a lot of time with them. Unfortunately, we'll all be heading back to university in a week (and we all go to different schools!), so we don't have much time. Anyway, I'm rambling.

* * *

Unaware that four of his men had just left the crime scene on a child's orders, Megure continued to verify the possibility of suicide. "Tell me," he prompted the group of friends. "Has Ito-san been depressed lately?"

"You don't think he committed suicide, do you?" Hiromi asked anxiously.

Megure held up his hand. "Ah, well," he began. "We can't know for sure at this point."

Yuuta paused a moment before speaking. "Well, there was something I've been meaning to do for a while," he said nervously. "And Ito-san insisted I do it today." Yuuta looked at the ground. "Maybe… maybe he wanted to see me do it before he killed himself."

Megure raised an eyebrow at Yuuta's vague details.

Conan suddenly pulled Ran toward the thirtieth stall where Ito-san's corpse lay. Ran followed along silently. The thought occurred to her that she should resist Conan's tugging in order to keep him out of mischief. But Conan wasn't really causing trouble… She watched as Conan studied the back of Ito-san's head. It wasn't childish mischief. It was… She paused. What was it really?

When Conan had pulled her into that auditorium, he had gone in specifically to take those pictures with his phone. And then Conan had passed that phone to Takagi, who left with a very serious expression. Could the pictures have been important to the case?

But that was ridiculous. Conan liked to play detective, but he didn't actually solve the cases. He noticed important things occasionally, but that was all. Ran continued to watch Conan. But… She couldn't just dismiss behavior like this, especially when she had noticed it so many times before. Conan was _not_ a normal child. And with only a few whispers, Conan had mobilized four police officers. What had he said to them? And why had they listened? Who… was Conan really?

"Actually," Maeda-san commented from across the room, "I sensed something was off about Ito-san recently. I tried to confront him about it, but he was very secretive, and I didn't get much out of him. He seemed to regret something he had done though..." Maeda-san paused. "I did worry that he might try to harm himself…"

Megure rubbed his chin thoughtfully. "So this probably was a suicide," he said slowly.

"Ah re re!" Conan called out from the thirtieth stall. "That's strange! If Ojii-san went to sleep sitting down, how did he hurt his head?"

The sight of Ito-san's corpse was unsettling, but Ran was too preoccupied to be frightened. She tightened her grip on Conan's hand and looked down at him.

"Look!" Conan pointed at the back of Ito-san's head. "His head got all banged up!"

_Here they were_, Ran thought. _Conan's helpful little hints_. He always noticed small little things that ended up being important to the case. It was definitely lucky that Conan always noticed the right things. _Luck,_ Ran considered. Was that really what it was? And Conan had taken those pictures with his phone. _That_ couldn't be luck. Could it?

_Wait, focus on what he's saying, _Ran told herself. _The back of Ito-san's head…_ She forced herself to look at the dead body before her. It was difficult to take in, but… As Conan had pointed out, Ito-san's hair on the back of his head was stuck together with dried blood.

_I have to address his observations casually,_ Ran decided. If she acted too suspicious of him, Conan would just hide his true self behind his impenetrable wall of childish innocence. Again.

"Ah, well, maybe he fell and hit his head," Ran offered offhandedly.

"Wow!" Conan replied quickly, as if he had expected this response. "I didn't know people could fall into such a neat position! And somehow he fell right in front of his note too!" Conan held up the suicide letter as he spoke.

Upon seeing the suicide letter with Conan, Megure checked his hands, and then his pockets. He could have sworn he had been holding the letter… He approached the thirtieth stall to reclaim the evidence, and the group followed him apprehensively.

Megure regarded Ito-san's position as he reached the stall. "It's true," he conceded. "It _is_ a strange position to fall into… and in front of the note no less…"

"Kogoro no Oji-san hits me if I don't go to bed on time!" Conan suddenly blurted out. All eyes turned to Conan in confusion.

Ran stared intently. Was there any intention behind such a random comment? Or was it just a child's muddled rambling? She laughed uneasily. "Ah, well he's just trying to make you go to sleep," she replied nervously.

"But once somebody goes to bed, you can draw funny things all over them!" Conan stated quickly.

It was just nonsense. She had just been thinking too much earlier. Conan was Conan. Right?

Conan continued. "Maybe someone hit Ojii-san to make him go to sleep, and look! They did this to his arm while he was sleeping!" Conan pointed at the dark necrotic wound on Ito-san's arm.

The room fell silent. Ito-san's head injury was certainly suspicious, but if he had been knocked out, and then given a lethal injection… _Could this have been a murder? _Ran thought to herself.

She glanced around the room. It seemed that the same thought had dawned on everyone else. And… And Conan had orchestrated it. With simple, childish comments. And this was what Conan always did, wasn't it? How many times before had Conan led them to the correct conclusions? She had always known there was a wall obscuring the real Conan. But… What else was that wall hiding?

"Y-you don't mean…" Sonoko gasped.

"Somebody knocked him out, and then injected the poison?" Hiromi suggested worriedly.

Conan smiled knowingly. _Bingo_, he remarked to himself. Now the real investigation could begin. _But still,_ he thought, glancing at the ground. _There isn't much evidence…_ _And that other person seems to be hiding something as well. _Conan's eyes gravitated toward the suicide note in his hand. There was also this note to consider. Had the murderer made the note, to make it look like a suicide? It seemed straightforward enough, but then why rip the top of the paper? Unless…

Megure suddenly turned to the group. "Did anyone enter the bathroom while Ito-san was inside?" he asked.

"Well… I wasn't really watching," Sonoko answered, "but Yuuta-kun, Maeda-san, and Hiromi-chan all went to the bathroom at one point.

"I'm sure there were more people than that though," Ran added meditatively

"Sixteen," Conan affirmed. All eyes turned Conan's way. He smiled innocently. "There were sixteen other people who used the restroom," he clarified.

Hiromi looked at Conan in surprise. "Th-That is amazing!" she exclaimed. "To observe and recall that… The police should have _you_ working for them!"

Maeda-san looked down angrily. "That's all well and good, but that means it could be anyone in the park," he grumbled, clenching his fist. "And they've probably already run off after all this time."

"And we can hardly expect a seven-year-old to remember how all of them looked," Yuuta added.

"Actually," Conan cut in, "Ran-neechan and I went to the auditorium, and we saw all sixteen people in there, quietly watching the show." As everyone turned to Conan, he smiled innocently. He had to make this seem childish somehow…

"And camera phones are so fun!" he exclaimed. "I took pictures of all the bathroom people and showed them to Takagi-keiji! I thought they were funny, but Takagi-keiji just left and took my phone with him…" Conan looked at the floor, seemingly sad and dejected. "I guess he just has a bad sense of humor," Conan mumbled whistfully.

Megure raised an eyebrow. "Do you mean to tell me Takagi-kun already knew this was a murder case, and left me here thinking about suicide just for the heck of it?" he asked heatedly.

Conan giggled uneasily and shrugged.

Ran frowned. Could she make sense of all this? Maybe Conan _was_ just a child, and he was just showing funny pictures to Takagi. But Takagi had realized it was a murder, and went to investigate the suspects. It was a plausible situation, but... _No,_ she thought. As much as she wanted to believe it, that explanation was ridiculous. It was almost as bad as the excuses Shinichi came up with. What kind of child kept track of everyone using the bathroom, took pictures of them, and handed them over to a police detective just for fun?

But if he had truly done all of that, then what further explanation could there be? Had Conan known they were suspects when he had taken the pictures? The hints he had dropped about Ito-san indicated that he knew this was a murder, right? So maybe he had known the situation all along, prepared the pictures of the suspects, and submitted them to Takagi for inspection. Ran paused as she considered the thought.

_That's crazy, _she finally concluded._ And I thought the other explanation was ridiculous_… Conan is seven years old. There's no way he could be capable of that. But then how much _did _Conan know? And why did he take the pictures?

Conan glanced up at Ran, and she quickly looked away. She couldn't act suspicious, or Conan would hide from her. She had to pretend everything was normal.

Conan studied Ran's face. She seemed normal enough. _Good,_ he thought. She wasn't suspicious of him. That meant his excuse had worked. It was a pretty lame excuse, in retrospect… But at least Ran seemed to believe him, so his identity was safe.

He brought his mind back to the case. He needed to confirm a few more aspects of the trick, just to make completely sure he was right. And some decent evidence couldn't hurt… Conan looked up at Ran. But investigating was going to be tough with Ran hovering around. He couldn't have her discovering his identity.

And then there was the tricky part. He would have to reveal the murderer somehow. Kogoro wasn't here, and Takagi and Megure didn't pick up on his hints very well. Putting Sonoko to sleep was probably the best way to explain everything, but he couldn't do that in front of Ran. He would have to get away somehow.

Conan had pulled his hand free of Ran's grasp earlier, but the incident had made Ran determined to maintain her grasp this time. The young detective tugged on his hand a bit. No good. Ran was holding on too tight. He couldn't just shake her off this time. The deduction show would have to wait until he could think of a way to free his hand.

Takagi suddenly rushed into the bathroom, followed by a police officer holding a large plastic bag. Conan shot Takagi a questioning glance, and Takagi nodded.

Megure turned slowly towards Takagi, his eyes narrowed and a fake smile plastered on his face. "Where were you just now, Takagi-kun?" he asked sweetly, fully aware that Takagi had left to investigate the murder without informing his superior.

Takagi glanced around the room nervously. He suspected something was wrong. "Ah, well, I-"

"Never mind," Megure interrupted quickly, maintaining his act. "It seems I've only _just now_ realized this was a murder, and not a suicide. So how about you take Conan-kun to the auditorium and have him point out the suspects. Then we'll go through and inspect all of them."

Takagi looked at Conan expectantly, who responded with a brief nod. He then pointed at himself and shook his head, putting his finger to his lips. The police detective took this series of motions to mean that he could reveal his findings to the inspector, but he could not reveal it had come from Conan. _Still,_ Takagi thought to himself. _This puts me in a very awkward position…_

"Takagi-kun, did you hear what I just said?" Megure asked impatiently.

Takagi straightened himself up to appear confident. "Yes sir, I did!" he affirmed, rendering a salute. "But…" He glanced nervously at Conan, his confidence quickly fading. He took a deep breath. "But we've already rounded up and questioned the suspects. And…"

"And?" Megure prompted angrily.

Takagi pressed his index fingers together uneasily. "And… two of our officers are holding them right outside," he finished quietly.

Megure glared at Takagi, his arms folded. "So," he said slowly. "If my understanding of the situation is correct…" He strode toward the door and looked back at Takagi, his eyes narrowed. "You already realized this was a murder, and decided not to share with the rest of us?"

"Ah, well, it was-" Takagi glanced down at Conan, who was fiercely waving his free arm and shaking his head. _It was Conan who had told him. _But Conan didn't seem to want any credit. In fact, he seemed dead-set against it. But why? It was all so strange. "I'm sorry, sir," Takagi finally said. He would sound crazy attributing the deductions to a seven-year-old child anyway. "I just wanted to get to the suspects as soon as possible," he explained, smiling nervously.

The inspector sighed heavily. "I see," Megure remarked, noting Takagi's nervousness. "In any case-"

"What's in that big bag, Takagi-keiji?" Conan suddenly interrupted. He pointed at the plastic bag held by the officer who had returned with Takagi.

Relieved at the interruption, Takagi turned toward the bag. "Ah, yes," he began with renewed assurance. "Hashimoto-san, would you-?"

As Takagi beckoned to him, Officer Soichiro Hashimoto stepped forward. He was young like Takagi, with jet-black hair and a smooth face. He moved toward the inspector calmly, scanning the group with his dark, piercing eyes.

"Takagi-san deduced that the victim had been struck with a blunt object and then poisoned," he explained carefully. "Our suspects had no such weapon on them, so we reasoned that it had been stashed somewhere in the park. As per Takagi-san's suggestion, we asked Park Maintenance if they had recently discovered any long, blunt objects that could have been used to hit someone."

The young officer paused as the information settled over the group. Then, with a gloved hand, he slowly drew a baseball bat from the plastic bag he carried. "This bat was found approximately 2.5 kilometers from here, and, as you can see…" He turned the bat to expose an area near the middle of the bat, covered in Ito-san's blood. "It was clearly used to conduct this murder."

Megure regarded the weapon contemplatively. "Still," he commented, "If the murder was committed in a bathroom, you'd think the culprit could wash the blood off first."

"Actually," Conan replied, "look at the sinks."

Everyone turned to the sinks that lined the wall. Each one was about half a meter wide by half a meter long. The faucet extended to the center of the sink, and the walls around the sink rose above the faucet on all sides.

"The blood is located in the middle of the weapon," Conan explained. "However, there is no way you can fit the baseball bat, which is approximately one meter long, within the walls of the sink and under the faucet." A few members of Conan's audience began to nod slowly.

"Furthermore," Conan continued, "if the culprit attempted to wipe the blood off with paper towels and throw them in the trash can, the police inspecting the crime scene would find blood-soaked towels immediately, and they would know right away this was no suicide." His eyes narrowed. "The culprit was counting on this being seen as a suicide, so he just needed to get the bat and the blood as far away from here as possible."

The group stood open-mouthed at Conan's sudden clarity.

"Ah, well," Conan countered nervously. _What could he say?_ "I'm not sure what that means, but that's what you were telling me, right, Takagi-keiji?"

Takagi looked taken aback, but he nodded apprehensively.

_Baka baka baka,_ Conan cursed at himself. He couldn't keep relying on Takagi to cover for him like this. Takagi was helpful enough, but if he continued to make Takagi suspicious of him, that question was sure to come up again. _Who are you, really?_ It was a question he could not answer. Not yet at least. He clenched his fist. Not until he had taken down that organization.

Inspector Megure cleared his throat. "Alright," he said decisively. "Let's go investigate the suspects."

"Do we have to come too?" Hiromi asked, indicating herself, Yuuta, and Maeda-san.

Megure paused for a moment, considering the question. "Well…" he began slowly.

"Keibu-san," Officer Hashimoto interrupted smoothly. "It's true that we have two officers holding the sixteen suspects outside, but this is only a precaution. We investigated the sixteen suspects thoroughly, and they all have solid alibis. Furthermore, there is extensive testimony proving that each one of them went nowhere but into the auditorium after using the restroom." Hashimoto glanced down at the baseball bat still in his hand. "Therefore, none of them could have gotten this baseball bat 2.5 kilometers away from here."

The civilians in the room gasped.

"Th-Then," Yuuta began nervously. "You don't mean…"

"I do," Hashimoto answered. "Our only suspects for this murder," he said slowly, gazing coldly at Ito-san's friends, "are you three!"

* * *

**the Anonymous Reader** who suggested that Shiho not end up with anyone, I must say that I can easily agree with that line of thinking. I've just heard a lot of ConAi fans complain that the ShinRan pairing forces Shiho to end up alone with her love unrequited. I hope I don't bother too many ConAi fans, but I think I'll end up not pairing Shiho off after all.

**Pu7o**, I was thinking about using Hakuba when I started this, but then they've never interacted ever, so I slowly backed out of that idea. I would just feel weird creating a romance between two established characters when there has been no foundation in canon. I _am_ planning to bring in "Magic Kaito" characters though. They were originally in my fourth chapter in their own cutaway scene, but I felt that it detracted from the murder mystery, so I took that scene out. Hopefully I can find a better place for it though, because I rather liked it…

**Sock Monsta**, Thanks for the heads up! I've fixed the previous chapter to include observations on Conan's lack of glasses.


	6. The Straightforward Trick: Evidence

Hey all. This chapter has taken far too long to come out. I just started my classes at university, so I've been nice and busy studying every night. But I really like writing this story, and I'm nowhere near finished. Sorry everyone if it's too long. When I planned the basic story from the beginning, I didn't think it would take so many chapters, but I am quickly realizing that this is going to be quite extensive. In any case, I hope it continues to be enjoyable so people will read my many chapters soon to come. Anyway, I enjoyed writing this as a study break, so I'm thinking I will continue updating throughout the school year. I'll probably update every other weekend. Hope that's good for everyone!

Thank you Anonymous Reader, Sock Monsta, and Gamer AlchemistZ for the lovely reviews, and thank you everyone else for the alerts and favorites!

* * *

Ran watched Ito-san's friends from across the room. She couldn't hear what they were saying, but each was most likely explaining his account of the day's events. Megure and Takagi were attempting to establish the group's alibis. Each member of the group stood a few meters apart from one another in order to be interviewed individually.

"Nee, Conan-kun…" Ran began, concern etched into her voice. "It can't be them, right?"

Conan, who seemed to be deep in thought, suddenly turned to Ran at the sound of his name. "What…what do you mean, Ran-neechan?" he asked.

Ran bit her lip. "Hiromi-chan, Yuuta-kun, and Maeda-san," she said apprehensively. "They were all so nice… There's no way one of them would kill Ito-san, right?"

"Ah, well I wouldn't know," Conan responded automatically, "because I'm just a…" His words trailed off as Ran continued to look at him sadly. Recent developments in the case seemed to have affected her deeply.

"Conan-kun?" she repeated slowly.

Conan sighed and closed his eyes. "I'm sorry, Ran-neechan." He returned Ran's gaze. "I-I guess…" He struggled to find words. "You can't always know what truly lies within a person's heart." He paused and turned his gaze to the ground. "You – you can't. Even if he is standing right before you, who he truly is… and how he truly feels… You can't always know what they are."

Ran considered Conan's response. "Then," she mumbled pensively, "can I be truly sure of anyone's identity?" She faced Conan directly. "Can I truly believe that Conan-kun is who he claims to be?"

Conan took a step back. _What- what could she mean by that?_ "R-Ran-neechan," he pleaded nervously, a bead of sweat running down his face.

Suddenly, Ran paused, seeming to catch herself. She forced a laugh. "Sorry Conan-kun," she said sweetly. "Just an example." She donned a more serious expression. "Not to worry, though. I trust Conan-kun."

Conan smiled, relieved to see Ran did not suspect him.

"But to be capable of a murder," Ran continued sorrowfully, "the culprit's hatred of Ito-san must have been strong." She glanced to the side thoughtfully. "If he felt so strongly, why would he keep that to himself?"

Conan winced at the question. "Maybe," he replied slowly, "Maybe the truth would only hurt the one he loves." He turned his gaze further from Ran, vainly attempting to hide his face. "Maybe he thinks the burden of the truth would be too much, so his only option is to deal with his problem alone." Conan took a breath to continue, but closed his mouth promptly, thinking on his own words.

His words seemed to affect Ran as well. She brought her hand to her chin as she considered what Conan had said, frowning slightly. After a moment, she turned slowly back to Conan.

"If it was Shinichi…" Ran began quietly, "If – if Shinichi had a terrible secret… No matter how much it hurt me, I would still want to know."

Conan stared up at Ran.

Ran continued, choosing her words carefully. "Because… Maybe people can hide what is truly in their hearts, but…" She placed her right hand on Conan's shoulder. "I can't help but love that mystery otaku." Conan froze. "Whatever problem he is dealing with," Ran continued, "I want… no… I need to be there for him." She smiled weakly. "Do - Do you understand, Conan-kun?"

Conan nodded silently, thoroughly surprised and unable to respond.

"If you ask me," Sonoko suddenly chimed in, "it's Maeda-san."

Conan and Ran quickly turned from one another to face Sonoko.

Ran silently wondered if Sonoko had overheard her confession. "Ah, why do you say that?" she asked nervously, eager to draw attention toward this new topic.

"Well," Sonoko began, folding her arms across her chest, "We didn't see him for a long time. I bet he took so long because he was committing the murder."

"If anything, that makes him less suspicious," Officer Hashimoto called out, casually approaching the group.

Sonoko looked taken aback. "What do you mean?" she asked.

"On the arm of the deceased, where the lethal injection had been administered, there was a necrotic wound, meaning the skin in that area had died off from the injection," Hashimoto explained. "The skin only dies off like that if the injection was given incorrectly, so my guess is that this murder was done quite hastily, with little precision." Hashimoto narrowed his eyes. "But even from that, it could still be any of them…"

"Nee, you're pretty smart, oniisan," Conan observed aloud. "Why aren't you helping to investigate the suspects?"

Hashimoto smiled. "Well, I'm only an officer," he said smoothly. "It isn't really my place to conduct investigations." He looked toward Megure and Takagi. "I just have to be the best I can be, serving those two."

"But you really are clever," Ran offered. "Maybe you'll get a promotion soon." She smiled.

"That isn't too likely," Hashimoto replied quickly. He sighed, turning his eyes toward the sky. "Sometimes I wonder…" he began thoughtfully, smiling up at the bathroom's light fixtures, "what it would be like, if I quit the force, ran off with my girlfriend, and settled down somewhere overseas…"

Hashimoto blinked for a moment, seeming suddenly aware of the dreams he had just confessed. He closed his eyes and laughed nonchalantly. "Of course, I would never turn my badge in," he said firmly, his dark eyes gleaming with dedication. "My true allegiance is not to myself, but to the greater good of humanity. For that, I would sacrifice everything."

Conan smiled wryly. This guy was pretty committed to his job…

"But officer is a good fit for me," Hashimoto continued. "I wouldn't feel right becoming an investigator unless I was as good as _him_."

"Him?" Conan interrupted curiously.

Hashimoto smiled thoughtfully. "This detective I look up to," he explained. "A detective comparable to Holmes himself."

"Ah, that's right!" Conan suddenly shouted. He turned to Sonoko. "Sonoko-neechan, you're a really good detective, right?"

Sonoko stared blankly for a moment. "Well," she finally said, "I don't want to brag, but I do have my moments."

"I want to be a detective someday too!" Conan said excitedly. "Sonoko-neechan, how about you help the police interview the suspects, and I'll go along to watch you."

Hashimoto frowned. "I don't know if that's appropriate-"

"But oniisan," Conan begged, blinking his eyes at Hashimoto, "If I want to learn, it has to be from _the best_."

Ran narrowed her eyes at Conan's shameless trick to investigate, but it had already worked. Sonoko was beaming with pride.

"Well then," Sonoko announced arrogantly, "your replacement husband isn't so bad after all." Sonoko looked down at Conan. "Come along, chibi-chan. I, Suzuki Sonoko, shall show you how to investigate."

"Wow! Yay!" Conan exclaimed, pulling Ran along behind Sonoko.

Hashimoto stared after them wordlessly. _Such an interesting case,_ he thought to himself. _Given the information he had gathered, that person was probably the murderer._ He sighed. _It would probably be discovered soon enough. No need for me to interfere._ He wandered leisurely outside the bathroom to observe the sixteen suspects being held by two fellow officers.

* * *

"Ladies and gentlemen," a young man among the sixteen suspects called out, "I would now like a volunteer from the audience!"

The remaining fifteen suspects jumped up and down excitedly, begging to be picked. A large audience had also accumulated around the taped-off holding area for the sixteen suspects. Several members of this outer audience also cheered, reaching their hands toward the center of the holding area, where the young man continued to perform.

"What is this?" Hashimoto asked, having approached a fellow officer.

The officer turned to Hashimoto, a large grin on his face. "The suspects started getting unruly, because they didn't appreciate being held for this long. But as soon as we started fearing there would be some trouble, one of the suspects started doing this magic show." He nodded at the young man in the center of the holding area. "Now everyone wants to be held as a suspect so they can get a better view of the show," he laughed.

"How about… you!" the young man announced, pulling a young lady from the group of suspects toward him.

The young man raised his hand to command silence, and the audience's cheering ceased. "Now watch very closely everyone," he commanded the crowd, "as I make this young woman's clothing… disappear!" He smirked at the young woman.

"Ba-Kaito!" the young woman shouted, hitting the performer over the head. "You will do no such thing!"

The area around the two suddenly exploded into pink smoke, obscuring the center of the holding area from view. As the smoke began to clear, the image of the two slowly came back into view. The young man, who had previously been wearing jeans and a T-shirt, now stood before the audience in a black tuxedo. The clothes of the young woman beside him had disappeared, but in their place was a long burgundy evening gown.

"Behold!" the young man shouted, gesturing toward his female companion, "my lovely assistant, Aho-ko!" The audience roared with approval. "Now then," the performer continued, his assistant grumbling at his side, "who likes cards?"

The audience erupted into thunderous screams.

* * *

Sonoko glanced toward the bathroom entrance. "It sure is loud out there, isn't it?" she remarked.

"Is – is that what you wanted to ask me?" Maeda-san inquired, slightly confused with the Deduction Queen's methods.

Sonoko laughed nervously. "Ah, no…" She put her hand to her chin in concentration. "What was I going to ask…?" she wondered aloud.

Megure exchanged annoyed glances with Takagi. "Listen," he stated flatly, tearing Sonoko from her thoughts, "you may have helped us with cases in the past, but this is strictly police business." He took a deep breath. "So, if you would-"

"Ah, oji-san, you sure have a large bag!" Conan observed.

Maeda-san regarded his bag on the floor that he had been straining to carry. "It's all my camera equipment," he said sternly.

"Check his bag, chibi-chan!" Sonoko commanded of Conan.

"Ah, Suzuki-san…" Takagi protested futilely.

Conan laughed inwardly at Sonoko's determination. He didn't need to check the bag, but he could definitely use this opportunity to his advantage… Conan unzipped the bag, revealing a large assortment of camera equipment, several different lenses, three cameras, and a tripod.

He looked up at Maeda-san. "This is a lot of camera equipment," he commented. "Could it be that Yuuta-oniisan asked you to bring this?" Conan smiled confidently.

Maeda-san looked down in surprise. "Why yes. Yes, he did," he said slowly. He looked over at Yuuta, a grim expression on his face. "You don't think-"

"Yuuta-oniisan looks like a very fast runner," Conan interrupted. "Does he always train at high speeds?"

Maeda-san looked taken aback at the question. "Yes," he said nervously. "Yuuta-kun is one of the top collegiate runners in the region." The man considered Yuuta's speed for a moment. "I don't think he's ever run slower than 3 and a half minutes per kilometer, even during long distance practices."

Conan smiled knowingly. He suddenly turned to face Sonoko and Ran. "Wow! Investigating is fun!" he said excitedly.

Megure cleared his throat. "Alright," he cut in agitatedly, "now if we could get back to the case, please."

"Hai," Takagi agreed anxiously. He flipped gingerly through his notepad. "So it appears Tanaka Yuuta-san and Kuroki Hiromi-san had plans to visit this theme park for some time, and Tanaka-san recently invited Maeda-san and Ito-san to join them. Tanaka-san and Kuroki-san met Mouri Kogoro-san's entourage," he continued, gesturing toward Conan, Ran, and Sonoko, "where they proceeded to meet up with Maeda-san and Ito-san at approximately 1505 hrs.

Takagi took a deep breath and flipped to another page. "Kuroki-san went to the bathroom at 1508 to wash ice cream off her sweater, and Ito-san went to the bathroom at 1510. Kuroki-san returned at 1519 and left to buy Conan-kun ice cream. Tanaka-san went to the bathroom at 1520, returned around 1526, and left to get something out of his car. Maeda-san went to the bathroom at 1527, finished around 1535, but did not return to the group, choosing instead to take pictures around the park. Kuroki-san returned to the group at 1534, Tanaka-san returned to the group at 1556, and Maeda-san returned at 1558. After that, Tanaka-san discovered Ito-san's body around 1600."

"So overall," Megure concluded, "Kuroki-san spent eleven minutes in the restroom, and fifteen minutes away from the group afterward. Tanaka-san spent six minutes in the restroom, and thirty minutes away from the group. Finally, Maeda-san spent eight minutes in the restroom and twenty-three minutes away from the group."

Megure glanced toward the group and pulled Takagi aside.

"It looks like they all had an opportunity to stash the baseball bat," Megure whispered quietly. "We're no better off than when we started."

Takagi considered the events for a moment. "But the bat was discovered 2.5 kilometers away. In that case, couldn't we eliminate Kuroki-san?" he asked hoarsely.

"She had a full fifteen minutes," Megure stated pointedly. "Wouldn't that be enough to cover 2.5 kilometers there and 2.5 kilometers back?"

"Ah, well," Takagi remarked nervously, "she would have to be running very quickly to make it in time, _and_ buy Conan-kun ice cream." He located a page on his notepad. "For our last physical training session," Takagi recounted, "it took _me_ twenty minutes to run 5 kilometers."

"Maybe you're out of shape," Megure suggested sardonically.

"Ah, K-Keibu-san," Takagi protested, "I actually performed quite well. I managed to tie for first with Sato-san…" Takagi laughed and rubbed the back of his head awkwardly.

"I guess that _is_ a feat," Megure admitted. "But in any case-"

Conan tuned out of Megure and Takagi's conversation. _They'll be arguing for hours at this rate, _he thought dryly. He slowly approached Hiromi with Ran still clinging to his hand. Fully absorbed in her investigation of Maeda-san, Sonoko hardly noticed Conan and Ran leaving her side. Hiromi appeared quite distressed, and she continued glancing nervously across the room at Yuuta, who seemed himself lost in thought.

"Nee, Hiromi-oneesan," Conan began innocently. "I thought you were a boy when we first met."

Ran gasped and covered Conan's mouth with her right hand. "Conan-kun, that is rude!" she scolded. She looked up at Hiromi. "Don't listen to him, Hiromi-chan," Ran insisted. "You are very pretty."

Hiromi smiled weakly. "It's okay," she offered. "I get that a lot, since I don't have a very feminine build."

"It's also your shoes," Conan commented from behind Ran's hand.

Hiromi looked down at the muddy running shoes on her feet. "My- my shoes?" she asked blankly.

Conan nodded as Ran removed her hand. "It took me a while to figure out," he admitted sheepishly, "but if you look at Ran and Sonoko," he continued, turning to the two girls, "it seems that it's the style for girls nowadays to wear these flat slippers." Conan pointed at Ran and Sonoko's flats. "It makes their feet appear smaller, so they are generally worn with jeans that are tight around the ankle." Conan turned to Ran. "Right, Ran-neechan?"

"H-hai," Ran agreed nervously.

Hiromi continued to look at her shoes. "To be honest," she confessed, looking up to face Conan, "While Yuuta was running on the trails this morning, I was running too." She bit her lip. "Yuuta likes running so much," she remarked fondly, "so I try to make it a part of my life too."

Conan nodded understandingly. "I could tell you were running," he admitted, "because there is a lot of mud caked to the bottom of your shoes. No mud on top of them though!" he randomly exclaimed. Conan looked up at Ran. "Let's talk to Yuuta-oniisan too!"

Ran nodded hesitantly, and Hiromi watched as the two approached Yuuta.

"O-Ohayou, Ran-chan, and Conan-kun," Yuuta said nervously.

"Nee oniisan," Conan prompted, "You had a lot of dirt caked to the bottom of your shoes before, but now it's all gone."

Ran glanced nervously down at Conan. _Just keep silent. Keep silent and watch him,_ she continued to tell herself.

Yuuta looked at his shoes in confusion. "Well," he replied, "I was running around the park a lot, so all the dirt probably fell off by now."

"But you still have dirt on top of the front of your shoes," Conan pointed out. "That's a funny place to get dirt."

Yuuta glanced down nervously. "Ah, but when the trails are wet, you can't help where the mud ends up," he countered. "It just gets everywhere."

Conan suddenly lifted Yuuta's track bag with his left hand. "Wow!" he exclaimed. "This bag seems much heavier than it was before you went to the bathroom and then ran off."

A bead of sweat ran down Yuuta's face. "Ah, well, its-"

Suddenly, Conan unzipped the Track bag, and Yuuta froze. Conan and Ran's eyes widened. There it was. He had all the confirmation he needed. All of the information he had collected, the odd behavior he had noticed, his countless deductions. It all added up. The murderer was indeed that person. He glanced down at the contents of the bag. But… It was truly a tragic murder…

* * *

**Anonymous Reader,** I can understand how you feel about the couples being paired up so nicely, but I must admit that I absolutely adore all of the romances. Except Agasa's… That one seemed a tad forced. Detective Conan is technically a shonen, but I think part of why it is so successful is because it appeals to a broad range of audiences. From my perspective (as a girl), I think the romance definitely attracts female viewers. This fic is mostly about the story itself, but there will be some lovey dovey stuff here and there. I apologize in advance if I make you gag!

**Sock Monsta**, I do too. I don't know if you're following the manga, but let me just say, in the current manga arc – omg. Fingers crossed for some sort of development.

**Gamer AlchemistZ**, Thanks so much for following this fic! Your comments always make me so happy. XD


	7. The Straightforward Trick: Conclusion

This chapter is a tad long. Sorry! I didn't want to cut the chapter off in the middle of the deduction show, because that would be unfair to the story itself and also to you wonderful readers. So I opted for a longer chapter. I hope everyone likes the conclusion to this mystery! This is not the end though! There is still more delicious, mysterious plot to come! Oh gosh, did I just say delicious? I must sleep now. Midterms have fried my brain.

And thank you Out-Of-Control-Authoress, Gamer AlchemistZ, blue-espeon, Anonymous Reader #2, Pu7o, Roseanni, Anonymous Reader #1, and AngelOfTheHealingLight for your extensive reviews! It made me so happy to read them, and helped me get started on this chapter that much sooner.

* * *

Yuuta knelt down and closed his bag hurriedly. He turned to face Conan and Ran. "Please don't tell anyone," he whispered quickly. "It- It isn't connected to the case, so nobody needs to know, right?"

Ran looked down at Conan. There was a reason he had opened that bag and revealed its contents. If Conan wanted the contents known, she would help make them known. If Conan maintained silence on the matter, then Ran would also be silent. She waited for Conan's decision.

Conan smiled up at Yuuta. "I won't tell a soul," he promised. His smile dissolved into a grave expression. "Ultimately, it shall be your own decision whether or not you choose to reveal this."

Yuuta glanced down at Conan with uncertainty.

"I won't tell anyone either," Ran affirmed quickly.

Conan's eyes darted toward Ran. She had been awfully quiet this entire time. Could it be she suspected him? Conan bit his lip. Usually he was free to conduct his investigations subtly, but today Ran had observed everything. He hadn't openly revealed anything in front of Ran; he had only asked a few simple questions of each suspect. But was it enough for Ran to suspect him?

Of course, when Ran had suspected him in the past, she had always been very expressive and overt about it. So wouldn't her current silence indicate that everything was fine? Ran was normally silent on cases anyway. The dead bodies were always a source of grief for her, so Ran was typically a silent observer throughout the investigations. But… There was something different about Ran today…

Ran smiled sweetly at Conan, and then quickly glanced across the room. "I wonder if Sonoko has figured out the case yet," she pondered aloud.

Conan cast a sideways glance at Sonoko, who seemed to be locked in a bewildering investigation with Maeda-san. Takagi and Megure continued to argue together in huddled whispers. "She probably has," Conan replied unconvincingly. "Let's go talk to her. Maybe she can tell us who the culprit is!"

Ran nodded, and the two made their way back across the bathroom toward Sonoko. _Either way,_ Conan thought, _I'm going to need to use Sonoko._ But he obviously couldn't put Sonoko to sleep in front of Ran. Conan eyed his hand in Ran's, and let out a heavy sigh. He knew how to free himself. The only occasion on which Ran would drop his hand… And he could easily accomplish it.

But… With his thumb, Conan lightly stroked Ran's hand. He would be leaving Ran to solve the mystery. Not only that, but tricking her as well. How many times would he abandon or deceive Ran to reveal the truth of a case? Would this be the extent of his relationship with Ran? Months of secrecy, lies, deception… Was he so different from the culprit?

_He knows,_ Ran thought, stealing a glance at Conan. Every question he had asked was relevant to the case. He had carefully conducted his investigation under the guise of childish curiosity, and he now knew the culprit's identity and trick.

It was the brief flicker of a smirk on Conan's face, when he had opened Yuuta's bag, that had given him away. That smirk was enough to convince Ran of Conan's deduction. That self-satisfied smirk, that Shinichi had so often worn upon solving a case. Conan had clearly arrived at a conclusion. But… how? How could a child in primary school be capable of that?

Conan had admitted before that Shinichi taught him many of the things he knew. But there was no way a child could use this knowledge to make such complex deductions AND intentionally disguise his investigation. So who was Conan really?

_Shinichi,_ Ran found herself thinking. In the past, Ran had often thought that Conan was Shinichi. Everything about Conan reminded her of Shinichi. But that was ridiculous! How could something like that happen? Shinichi had always upheld that the most logical explanation was usually the correct one. The idea of Shinichi shrinking to the size of a six-year-old clearly held no weight in the realm of logic. Right?

But what then, could be the answer? The mystery behind Conan, and the mystery behind Shinichi. The two who were constantly on Ran's mind. Shinichi, who had suddenly disappeared into anonymity, and Conan, who had just as suddenly appeared in her life. But they couldn't be the same. _They were the same._ But they couldn't be. Ran took a quick, decisive breath. Okay. She needed some sort of confirmation that the two were truly separate. Perhaps she could call Shinichi? Ran moved her right hand toward the keitai in her pocket, but stopped quickly. Her right hand still firmly grasped Conan's left hand. In order to call Shinichi, she would have to let go of Conan's hand. And then Conan was sure to hide himself from her and somehow solve the mystery from the shadows.

"Sonoko-neechan!" Conan announced loudly, alerting everyone in the restroom, "I'm glad you've solved the case! I really want to see your deduction show now!" Conan reached his right hand into his pocket.

Megure and Takagi rushed over to Sonoko, Conan, and Ran, beckoning to Ito-san's friends to follow. Hashimoto silently reentered the bathroom and approached the group. Yuuta, Hiromi, and Maeda-san looked glumly at the floor as they approached.

"Is it true?" Megure asked expectantly. "You've solved the case?"

Sonoko looked perplexed. "Well," she began nervously, "I don't think I'm completely sure yet. That is to say-"

Ran's phone began ringing noisily, and everyone turned, momentarily distracted, toward the noise. The ringtone was a special song Ran had chosen specifically for one of her contacts – Shinichi.

Ran froze, surprised by this sudden call. She looked down at Conan, who returned her gaze with a guiltless, seemingly oblivious expression. Shinichi was calling her, and Conan was right here. So… They were indeed separate, right? Well, not necessarily… The phone continued to ring. Should she answer?

"Ran-neechan," Conan prompted in a childish voice, "Who is calling you?"

Ran released Conan's hand and reached into her front pocket. She flipped open her phone slowly and pressed the answer button. "Sh-Shinichi?" she stammered.

Inspector Megure's face lit up. "Ah, is Shinichi-kun working on this case?"

Ran listened for a reply on her phone, but she was answered only by an eerie ping, some sleepy moaning, and then a thud. Silence followed.

"Shinichi…" she repeated weakly, her heart sinking.

"Shinichi's deductions are unnecessary at this point," Sonoko's voice suddenly called out, "for I have already solved the details of this murder, as well as the straightforward trick the culprit has employed."

Everyone turned from Ran toward Sonoko's voice. Sonoko was seated against the wall beside the last sink, in front of the thirtieth stall. Her head drooped as if she were sleeping, with her chin on her chest and her eyes closed.

"How exciting," Hashimoto whispered to Takagi. "This is my first time seeing one of your famous sleeping detectives."

Takagi nodded enthusiastically. "It is always quite a spectacle," he agreed. "Mouri Kogoro-san works with us more frequently, but this girl has had her share of sleeping deductions as well."

Hashimoto raised his eyebrows. "I see," he mused, his dark eyes flashing. "Would it be alright if I wrote a report on the subject? You know I'm a big fan of Mouri-san's work. And of course, I'll have to dig through some of the past sleeping detective cases for reference…"

"I'm sure that will be fine," Takagi said dismissively. "Chief Matsumoto is always thrilled with your thorough reports, so he'll definitely grant you clearance to go through those files."

Hashimoto nodded happily.

"I'm not sure you can call this a trick," Megure said dryly, standing before the seated Sonoko. "The culprit knocked Ito-san unconscious with a bat, administered an injection that killed him, hid the bat 2.5km away, and returned to his group. The only trick here was the attempt to make this look like a suicide. But once that fell away, everything the murderer did was pretty straightforward."

"And that is where the murderer has fooled you as well, Megure-keibu," Sonoko's voice replied, her lips unmoving. "The murder you just described omits several crucial details."

Megure raised an eyebrow. "Such as-?"

"The location of the murder," Sonoko quickly responded. "A theme park bathroom is used by hundreds of people each day. The murderer clearly chose this specific location to generate as many suspects as possible while maintaining a relatively private cover within the locked stall. If the culprit had not been accompanied by a detective from the beginning, it would be nearly impossible to gather every suspect who had used the bathroom. In that case, the murder would easily have been blamed on an anonymous guest who had already left the park, rather than the true murderer."

"Ah, but Suzuki-san," Takagi cut in, "wasn't it Conan-kun who had taken the pictures? Are you saying Conan-kun is a detective?"

"Wh-Ah- No!" Sonoko countered uneasily. "_I_ am the detective, and of course _I_ told the brat in glasses to take the pictures."

"If we could move on," Megure interrupted, shooting a glare at Takagi, "Everything you say is true. We were certainly lucky that you were accompanying the culprit today. But how is that a crucial detail?"

"It tells us that this murder was carefully planned out," Sonoko replied, "and much more intricate than it initially appears. In viewing this murder as a straightforward one, we overlook the smaller, more important details."

* * *

Ran looked sadly at her keitai one last time before placing it back into her front pocket. She looked to her right. Left. Toward Sonoko. Where had Conan gone? Ran looked all around the bathroom. He was nowhere to be seen. He had disappeared, just like Shinichi.

Ran fought to force down the panic that was rising in her heart. _The police are here_, she thought, attempting to reassure herself. They would surely notice a child abduction, or… No, thinking of that wasn't helping! Ran's eyes fell on Hashimoto. He seemed like a very competent officer, and Sonoko had already solved the case, so surely the police force could spare an officer to help find a missing child.

"Ano, Officer Hashimoto-san," Ran entreated nervously.

Hashimoto turned to Ran, silently noting the dread in her voice. "Can I help you, Ran-san?" he asked politely.

"C-Conan-kun's gone missing," she said quietly. "Would you be able to help me find him?" Ran looked at Hashimoto hopefully.

Hashimoto smiled smoothly. "Of course I can," he answered kindly. As he turned fully from Sonoko, Ran noticed a small digital camera in his hand. "Hey Takagi-san," Hashimoto whispered, "could you finish recording this for me?" He held the camera out toward Takagi.

"Ah, yes," Takagi replied quickly, gingerly taking the camera in hand.

* * *

"But the culprit seems fairly careless," Megure pointed out. "He administered a lethal injection in a room through which many people would be passing. Even if the murder was hidden from sight because of the stall doors, there would be no way to hide the sounds Ito-san might make as he died, or prevent the possible convulsions of Ito-san's body as the poison attacked his body. How can this murder be carefully planned if the culprit counted on so many wild cards?"

"Ah, but there were no wild cards," Sonoko announced confidently. "Once you analyze the poison in Ito-san's body, I think you'll find this to be the work of the barbiturate known as sodium thiopental, otherwise known as truth serum."

"T-truth serum?" Takagi repeated in confusion.

"Sodium thiopental was originally used in criminal investigations," Sonoko explained. "As a fast-acting depressant, it helped to make suspects more compliant and forthcoming. It was dubbed "truth serum" for its apparent ability to help bring forth the truth. In reality, the truth that the drugs elicited was unreliable, and its use has since been discontinued. This falsely named serum of truth has been used today for a case in which the truth itself is clouded."

"But how does that account for the possibility of Ito-san's moaning or convulsing as he died?" Yuuta asked plainly.

A smug expression crept onto Conan's face. "This compound affects the body rapidly," Sonoko's voice continued. "In fact, for this very reason, it is used today for anesthetizing patients, medically inducing comas, and in the rare cases of euthanizing individuals. Sodium thiopental induces unconsciousness within seconds, rapidly shutting down the bodily systems. Ito-san died in a matter of minutes due to his heart and lungs ceasing to function, as evidenced by his hypotensive and hypoxic symptoms." Conan paused for a moment. "In other words," Sonoko finally concluded, "this compound was selected specifically to accomplish a swift, silent death in a crowded public area."

* * *

Hashimoto smiled at Sonoko's deduction as he searched the fourth stall for Conan. "Your friend is quite intelligent," he remarked to Ran calmly. "I honestly would have never guessed she'd be capable of such thorough reasoning."

Ran glanced toward Sonoko. "That's true," she agreed thoughtfully. She had often considered it herself. How had Sonoko become so competent at deductions this past year? Her mind snapped back to Conan, and with it her concern for him. "Are you sure he's in here?" she asked anxiously.

Hashimoto nodded. "The officers outside informed me that no one has left the bathroom," he assured Ran. "The little rascal was probably bored of hanging around here for so long, so my best guess is that he is hiding somewhere in here."

Ran nodded silently, continuing to ponder over her suspicions.

* * *

"So let me get this straight," Megure began, addressing the details Sonoko had presented, "you're saying the crucial details of this case are Yuuta's skill at running, the mud on Yuuta and Hiromi's shoes, the torn suicide letter, and…" Megure cleared his throat. "And Hiromi's flat chest?"

"Precisely," Sonoko said proudly.

"Alright then," Megure prompted. "What does any of this have to do with our case?"

"Yuuta-kun," Sonoko called out, you are one of the top runners in the region, am I right?

Yuuta nodded.

"And you could easily run five kilometers in fifteen minutes?" Sonoko questioned.

Yuuta nodded again.

"Yuuta went running on muddy trails this morning," Sonoko's voice continued. "When you run on muddy trails, the mud ends up caked to the bottom of your shoes. Throughout the day, the mud will dry up and fall off as you walk around in the shoes. Accordingly, Yuuta had mud caked to the bottom of his shoes when the day began, but the mud is now gone. The only mud that remains is on top of his shoes."

Takagi and Megure exchanged confused glances.

"Yuuta-kun," Sonoko persisted, "As an experienced runner, I'm sure you are aware of how mud ends up on top of your shoes?"

Yuuta's eyes widened, but he looked down quickly. "I- I don't know," he muttered quietly, his voice faltering.

"I'm sorry to destroy this special day that lingers in your memory, Yuuta-kun," Sonoko offered sincerely. "But when dirt gets on top of your shoes, it's because someone is running directly in front of you, isn't it? The mud that they kick up when pushing off the ground immediately splashes onto your shoes behind them."

Yuuta nodded slowly, continuing to watch the floor.

"Hiromi-chan began the day with mud similarly caked to her shoes," Sonoko stated pointedly. "She had mud all over the bottom of her shoes, but none on top of them. Hiromi had also been running on muddy trails this morning, but there was clearly no one in front of her when she ran. Hiromi-chan, you were running in front of Yuuta-kun, weren't you?"

Hiromi's eyes widened. She looked down at her shoes, and then back at Sonoko.

"That's ridiculous," Maeda-san interrupted. "I was just telling that little boy earlier that Yuuta never runs slower than three and a half minutes per kilometer, even during long-distance practices. There's no way Hiromi-san, who isn't even on the Track team, could keep up with him."

"Oh, but Hiromi-chan was the Japan Regional Track Champion for women," Sonoko countered.

Maeda-san cocked his head to the side. "Eh?"

Conan smiled knowingly. "You can tell that Hiromi-chan is a well-trained runner from her flat chest. Champion distance runners have very little fat on their bodies due to the the metabolic constraints of distance running, so female distance runners tend to have very modest chests. Did you ever notice," Sonoko continued, "that Yuuta and Hiromi have matching Track bags?"

Maeda-san glanced from one bag to the other. He _had_ noticed before, but had never thought anything of it.

"When Yuuta opened his bag earlier," Sonoko continued, "I caught a glimpse of sewed lettering within the bag. The lettering read: Japan Regional Track Champion." Conan paused as the police processed the information. "One bag is given to the best male and female high school Track runners of Japan. Yuuta-kun was the top male, and Hiromi-chan was the top female."

Maeda-san stepped forward angrily. "I've had enough of going around in circles like this. I'll admit I didn't know about truth serum, and I've only just recently been hired, so I didn't know Hiromi was a champion runner, but if you know who the culprit is, then just tell us!"

"The murderer," Sonoko began slowly, her face continuing to droop into her chest, "is Kuroki Hiromi!"

Everyone stood frozen in disbelief.

Megure was the first to speak. "I understand you're eager to help us, Suzuki-san, but I'm afraid that doesn't make much sense."

Takagi nodded. "And Hiromi was only away from the group for fifteen minutes. She would have to be running very f…" Takagi paused for a moment. "Wait!" he suddenly exclaimed. "Since Kuroki-san is a champion Track runner, this may indeed be possible. Normal people take twenty to thirty minutes to run five kilometers, but elite runners have gone as low as a mere twelve minutes."

"I see," Megure remarked pensively. "Kuroki-san, who had set up this intricate murder, further removed blame from herself by establishing a perceived alibi. We had been ready to write Kuroki-san off as a suspect because we had lumped her abilities in with the general population."

"But Hiromi had gone to the bathroom before Ito-san," Yuuta pointed out. "How could she have known he was going to be in the bathroom?"

"You said it yourself," Sonoko replied quickly. "Ito-san always visited the bathroom fifty minutes before the show. Hiromi-chan purposefully spilled ice cream on herself just before the time Ito-san would go to the bathroom. She went to the bathroom to wash off the ice cream, where she waited for Ito-san. Once he entered the room, Hiromi-chan approached him from behind and knocked him out with the bat."

Yuuta studied Hiromi's shoes, and then quickly turned back to Sonoko. "But my shoes were covered in mud before, and now they aren't because I was running around a lot," he explained. "Hiromi still has mud caked to the bottom of her shoes, meaning that she couldn't have moved around much at all since this morning. She couldn't have run five kilometers and kept all that mud on her shoes."

"If Hiromi-chan had truly done nothing," Sonoko replied, "the mud on her shoes would have dried naturally and fallen off by simply walking around. Mud remains on her shoes at this time because she ran along a muddy trail just this afternoon to hide the murder weapon. The dirt trail that provides the most direct route across the park, where no guests would notice a suspicious runner, and with which only previous or current employees of the park are familiar. I am referring, of course, to the 'Employees Only' path."

Takagi slapped his fist down onto his palm excitedly. "Ah!" he exclaimed. "And Kuroki-san used to work at the auditorium here as a stagehand!"

Hiromi sank to her knees.

"But this is still speculation," Yuuta objected, eying Hiromi uneasily. "Hiromi could have been using the 'Employees Only' path to get to the best ice cream stand. You still can't prove that Hiromi is the murderer."

Hiromi slowly opened her Track bag, and drew from it her stack of roller coaster pictures. She flipped through the photos until a scrap of paper fell out. She placed the photos gently back in her bag, and then held up the scrap of paper. On the paper was scribbled "Hiromi-san,".

"There's your evidence," Hiromi said weakly. "I killed Ito-san."

Yuuta looked at the paper. "This says nothing," he mumbled, his voice faltering. "It-It's only your name, sweetie. You didn't kill Ito-san."

Takagi took the paper from Hiromi's outstretched hands. He examined the paper for a moment, and then looked toward Ito-san's torn "suicide note" that Megure still held after he had reclaimed it from Conan. Takagi silently took the note from Megure, and placed the scrap of paper on top. The two papers fit together perfectly. The note now read: "Hiromi-san, I am truly sorry for what I did to you."

"I found that note on him after he was dead," Hiromi admitted. "I hadn't planned on that note being there, so I tried hiding my name and leaving the rest as a suicide note." Hiromi smiled weakly. "After all he had done, that man thought he could gain my forgiveness with a mere note, scribbled on paper…"

Everyone continued to stare dumbfounded at Hiromi, the murderer of Ito-san.

"He had ruined everything," Hiromi continued, her voice wavering. "Yuuta and I had always shared everything together. Our pictures, our food, our sorrows, our joys. We even shared the title as Champion Track Runner together." Hiromi swallowed, struggling to maintain her composure. "When we were both accepted to Beika University, Ito-san immediately requested we join his team and offered full scholarship to both of us. Yuuta and I were naturally ecstatic, since we would be sharing our college years together as well."

Hiromi glanced toward Ito-san's corpse. "But it turned out that man only wanted us so he could make money off of our successes."

"W-What are you talking about?" Yuuta asked anxiously.

Hiromi looked down at the floor. "Ito-san was continually paid off by his associates in the underground gambling business for ensuring our success in races," she explained. "Because we continued to win, the bets on us continued to flood in. Yuuta and I knew nothing of these dealings as they were going on."

Hiromi took a deep breath and continued. "Eventually, the numerous bets on Kuroki Hiromi somehow surfaced. Gambling on amateur athletes is strictly prohibited in the Amateur Athletic Agreement. Although I was not involved in any way, my name had been, so I was dismissed from amateur athletics forever. I filed an appeal to argue my situation, and in the weeks leading up to my hearing, I uncovered a lot regarding the gambling ring. But I had no name. No mastermind to whom I cold attribute everything."

"One day," Hiromi continued, "I approached Ito-san to ask if he would testify on my behalf. It seems he mistook my request for a direct confrontation, because he immediately told me everything, and that he was the mastermind behind the gambling ring. But when he had finished, he assured me that it would be impossible to trace anything back to him. He laughed in my face and then left."

Hiromi looked at the papers in Takagi's hand. "And for _his_ crime, there truly was no evidence," she commented, smiling weakly. "I was officially dismissed from college athletics forever, and the man responsible had just laughed in my face, and continued to head his organization for a profit."

Hiromi turned her gaze toward Yuuta, and then back to the floor. "I tried to forget about it, since Yuuta and I had planned to spend a special day at Tropical Land the next week. But Yuuta suddenly phoned me the night before our date, and told me that Ito-san and Maeda-san were going to come along." Hiromi paused, clenching her fists. "THAT man, who had ruined my athletic career and stolen what I had shared with Yuuta, and who may have one day ruined Yuuta's athletic career as well, would come to Tropical Land with us. As if he hadn't ruined enough, he had the audacity to taint this special day between Yuuta and me! It was then that I decided I had to kill him! As punishment for his vile act, and to prevent him from ruining Yuuta's life as well!"

* * *

"I found your little rascal," Hashimoto whispered to Ran.

Ran's face lit up as she looked around the room. "Where?" she asked, relief etched into her voice.

Hashimoto smiled. "He looked worried when he thought I had seen him," the officer began quietly, "so I determined that he would only find a new hiding place if I approached him."

Ran nodded. "Yes," she agreed. "He's always hiding, and he never lets anyone in."

"Yes, I had surmised he was keeping something secret," Hashimoto offered smoothly. "And this was a far more interesting spectacle than your sleeping friend over there, so I reclaimed my camera from Takagi-san and focused it on the little rascal, making sure to keep it hidden from his view." Hashimoto looked down at his phone, a smug expression creeping onto his face. "The camera feeds directly to my keitai. Would you like to watch him?" Hashimoto held the phone out to Ran.

Ran smiled sweetly. "Thank you so much," she said, taking the phone from Hashimoto's outstretched hand. "As long as I know he's okay…" she began, her voice trailing off.

Hashimoto saluted and turned on his heel, proceeding to make his way back toward Megure and Takagi.

* * *

The group surrounding Hiromi was silent as the motive for her murder was revealed. A tear slowly slid down Hiromi's cheek.

"You're wrong," Sonoko's voice suddenly called out.

Hiromi looked up. "W-What?" she stammered weakly.

"It hurts, doesn't it?" Sonoko asked despondently. "To be on the top of the world one day, to see the one you love by your side and to think it will last forever… only to lose everything. To realize that no matter how skilled you are, you are stuck with no way to return to that life of glory." Conan paused, choosing his words carefully. "To be unable to fully share your life with your one true love. Supporting others from behind the scenes while being utterly neglected yourself."

Hiromi stared intently at Sonoko, her eyes watering from Sonoko's deep understanding of her situation.

"But," Sonoko continued, her voice wavering, "you are a champion, Hiromi-chan. Even if fate robs you of your stage, you must continue to perform. Even if no one can see you, even if no one can appreciate you, you need to continue to be all you can be."

"I continued to train," Hiromi offered halfheartedly. "But nothing I could do would punish Ito-san or save Yuuta from him."

"No," Sonoko said slowly. "But as a champion, you must continue to strive to make the world better. The road of life is fraught with obstacles. No matter how unfair the situation, no matter how much you lose, no matter how much your heart breaks, you must continue to stand as a champion." Conan was silent for a moment. "And maybe," Sonoko's voice said slowly, "you will win in the end."

"But," Hiromi protested, "this special day… Ito-san has tainted it forever."

"And so have you," Sonoko responded flatly, "in committing such a foul act as murder on this day."

Hiromi bent over as tears streamed down her face.

Takagi offered his hand to Hiromi. "Kuroki-san, would you please follow us to the far corner of the bathroom?"

Hiromi nodded and took Takagi's hand. Megure and Takagi led her toward the corner near the bathroom entrance.

Conan put his bow tie into his pocket and rushed out from behind Sonoko. He struggled furiously with the ideas this case had injected into his mind. He saw much of his own plight in Hiromi's. Would his own fate be the same? Would his pursuit of the Black Organization ultimately ruin the relationship he shared with the one he loved?

Conan glanced at Ran. Her gaze was fixed intently on a phone in her hand. Her eyes were wide and her mouth agape. With her attention on the phone, Ran had luckily failed to notice where Conan was hiding. Just as he had planned. But… Conan's feelings of guilt buzzed incessantly in his head.

"Ran-neechan, what are you doing?" Conan asked innocently.

Ran quickly jerked her attention toward Conan. She turned to the phone uneasily, and then turned back to Conan. "Ah, well, umm…" Ran struggled to invent a suitable excuse. "I was… um… I was… I was watching one of those funny internet videos!" Ran finally announced. "This case was a bit unnerving, so I asked Hashimoto-san if I could borrow his phone and cheer myself up with some comedy." Ran smiled to herself. _Good save_.

"Oh," Conan acknowledged slowly. "Can I watch too?"

"No!" Ran replied automatically, sufficiently startling Conan. Noticing her reaction, Ran smiled uneasily. "Actually, Conan-kun, Hashimoto-san said he wanted his phone back right away. I'll show it to you when we get home though." Ran smiled again and rushed toward Hashimoto with the phone.

Conan frowned. There was something he was missing. But what could it be?

"This is what you meant, isn't it?"

Conan whirled around to see Yuuta kneeling beside him. Yuuta was forlornly watching as the police placed handcuffs on Hiromi and briefed her on her journey to the police station.

"W-What do you mean, oniisan?" Conan asked in his childish voice.

"When you saw all of that stuff in my bag," Yuuta replied. "The flowers, the chocolates, and this." Yuuta pulled from his pocket a small jewelry case. He opened the case to reveal a radiant diamond ring. Yuuta fixed his gaze on Conan. "You told me it was ultimately my decision whether or not I revealed this. I didn't understand what you meant then, but I realize it now." Yuuta closed his eyes and leaned his head back. "You knew I intended to propose to Hiromi, and you knew that Hiromi had committed murder."

Conan opened his mouth to protest, but Yuuta waved his hand dismissively.

"I don't care how you knew," he said flatly. "But you cautioned me against proposing to Hiromi today, because today will live on in her memory as the day she killed a man. If I proposed to her on this day, then the foundations of our life together would be tainted by the memory of murder." Yuuta paused for a moment, and then looked back at Conan. "That's what you meant, isn't it?"

Conan nodded slowly.

Yuuta sighed. "I hadn't known about any of the troubles Hiromi was dealing with," he admitted. "She just told me one day she was quitting the team." Yuuta smiled weakly. "I was so selfish, I thought it was because she didn't want to be around me anymore. She was always mysteriously disappearing, even when I begged her to stay. I know now it was her search for the man who had wronged her, but…" Yuuta's voice trailed off. "If only I had known at the time, I could have helped her."

"She didn't tell you because she was trying to protect you," Conan interrupted. "She clearly loves you very much. When you love someone, you need to protect them from the evils of the world. No matter how much it hurts, and even if the secret threatens to destroy your relationship, you only want for the one you love to keep smiling, free from the evil."

Yuuta stared intently at Conan for a moment. "No," he finally said with conviction. "When you love someone, they are your entire world. Being separated from the one you love is the greatest evil you can face. I would brave a thousand evils if I could spend one more minute with Hiromi."

"But there is no way Hiromi would endanger you like that," Conan countered. "That's why she never told you the truth."

"I think if she had told me," Yuuta began thoughtfully, "I could have helped her. And maybe saved her from this terrible fate." Yuuta patted Conan's head. "No one can face their evils alone. That's why you need the one you love by your side. To fight the evils with you." Yuuta stood up.

"Nee, oniisan," Conan began.

Yuuta smiled. "Hiromi needs me now more than ever. This day of sadness is also a day of joy that lingers in our memories. You said it was ultimately my decision. Well, I have decided. I'm going to tell Hiromi." Yuuta shouldered his Track bag, pocketed the ring, and strode toward Hiromi just as the police began leading her from the bathroom.

"Is he going to tell her?" Ran asked, appearing at Conan's side.

Conan looked up at Ran. Ran needed him, and he needed Ran. He had to reveal everything to her, no matter what, because he loved Ran, with all his heart. Conan smiled confidently. "Yes," he replied. "He will tell her."

* * *

Out-Of-Control-Authoress, I'm a total sucker for RanXShinichi too. :3 Thank you so much for the compliments. I certainly took a while planning this story out, so I'm glad to see that it's coming together nicely. Also, thank you so much for following this story. Your review was the very first one I received, and I took your thoughtful constructive criticism to heart as I continued to write. I'm positive that it helped me to improve my writing.

Gamer AlchemistZ, I'd love to update more often, but I've got midterms right now. Bleargh. I'll try to update soon though!

Blue-espeon, Hurray! That's at least one person who will follow this to the end, and that makes writing this completely worth it!

Anonymous Reader #2, Yeah, Gosho-sensei is probably just teasing us again. But Ran keeps saying she has something to tell the love cynic Minerva, so I'm hoping that Shinichi said something about love to Ran!

Pu7o, Definitely true.

Roseanni, I'm glad you liked the Kaito bit. Kaito will get a much bigger role later on, so hopefully that will be a bit more exciting for you. C:

Anonymous Reader #1, Muahaha, yes. All writers delight in upsetting their readers with the dreaded cliffhanger. Haha, just kidding. But thank you so much for your kind words. And yes, that's Kaito and Aoko. During their constant quibbling, the two often employ a play on words with each other's names: Ba-Kaito and Aho-ko (from baka and aho/ahou, which are both insults regarding stupidity). I wanted to include the pet names in their debut, because I think they're adorable.

AngelOfTheHealingLight, I hope you deduced correctly! I know I always feel good when I've solved the case along with Conan. If you didn't, don't sweat it. I think I was a little harsh when I gave you guys information. I wanted to present the crucial details of the case, but I withheld a little so I didn't reveal the murderer right away. It sounds like you watch the dub, and that's probably why you don't know who Takagi is. No worries! His name is Harry Wilder in the dub. I hope that helps jog your memory! Anyway, thank you so much for finding this story and jumping in midway. I hope the story continues to appeal to you!


	8. The Magician and The Detective

Hey everyone, sorry this took so long to come out. I've been a bit preoccupied with school. I'll continue to update as much as I can though! Thank you so much to everyone for continuing to add to story alerts, review, and favorite! I really appreciate the interest, and I hope I can continue to make this story enjoyable.

Thank you Pu7o, Out-Of-Control-Authoress, Gamer AlchemistZ, Miruial, Roseanni, bubblyangel101, Conan's best deduction, AngelOfTheHealingLight, ncil, Anonymous Reader 1, and LEP-Surface Division for your awesome reviews! You guys are amazing!

* * *

Megure coughed forcefully into his hand, attempting to expedite the current exchange between Hiromi and Yuuta. Yuuta slowly drew his lips from Hiromi's. "I'll wait for you," he said softly. With that, the police escorted Hiromi toward the golf carts parked outside the restroom. Yuuta watched the cars slowly roll away, and then he slowly began walking toward the parking lot, his eyes on the ground.

"Nee, Conan-kun," Ran began, breaking the eerie silence that had settled over the empty restroom. "Sonoko called this a day that lingers in Hiromi-chan's memory. What did she mean by that?"

"Oh that," Conan remarked casually, turning to face Ran. "This day, exactly ten years ago, was when Hiromi-chan and Yuuta-kun first met. Yuuta-kun arranged to propose to Hiromi-chan on this day with that in mind."

Ran stared blankly, unsure of how to respond. Conan's response had been casual, but… forthcoming…? And he had changed his honorifics. Was this the same Conan, who had gone to such great lengths to distance himself from his deductions?

Conan shifted apprehensively, aware of his effect on Ran. He turned his gaze toward the floor with a frown. "Unfortunately, it was for that reason that Yuuta-kun invited Maeda-san and Ito-san to accompany him today. Unaware of Ito-san and Hiromi-chan's true relationship, he intended to gather their group together to celebrate this special day."

Ran was unsure of the reason for Conan's behavior, but she intended to take full advantage of the situtation. "But Hiromi-chan," she continued for Conan, "was driven to kill Ito-san because he was accompanying them on this day." Ran paused for a moment, contemplating the implications. "So, Yuuta-kun's decision to propose today…" Ran trailed off, looking to Conan to finish her thought.

Conan nodded. "Essentially," he continued, meeting Ran's eyes, "his decision to propose today indirectly drove Hiromi-chan to murder."

Ran frowned meditatively. "It's horrible," she lamented solemnly. "To think that something as beautiful as an expression of love, given at the wrong time, could become something so terrible…"

Conan opened his mouth to reply, but Ran suddenly knelt down, bringing her eyes to Conan's level. "I could never fathom," she said slowly, "that a simple confession could have such disastrous consequences. But maybe," Ran continued, "maybe there's an opportune time for everything. Maybe you can't always tell the truth right away, because it isn't time yet." Ran paused, looking deep into Conan's eyes. "Maybe Shinichi has a reason he cannot tell me the truth yet…"

Conan flinched at this last statement. Then slowly he reached out and grasped Ran's hands in his own. "Ran," he began.

Ran shook her head, tears forming at the corners of her eyes. "It's okay," she assured him with a weak smile. Despite her tears, Ran appeared relieved at Conan's response. "If there is a reason," she continued, "I'm sure Shinichi will know when the time is right."

"Ran," Conan repeated earnestly, "I-"

"My, my! What's this?" Sonoko suddenly asked, standing before the two with her hands placed on her hips.

Ran blushed. "S-Sonoko!" she stammered uneasily, quickly brushing off Conan's hands and rising to her feet. She glanced at Conan, unsure of what to say. "Oh!" she suddenly exclaimed, snapping her attention back to Sonoko. "Sonoko, congratulations on solving another case!"

Sonoko raised an eyebrow dubiously. "Heh?"

Ran stole a glance at Conan. He smiled nervously and nodded. "The murderer of Ito-san," Ran explained excitedly. "You deduced it was Hiromi-chan."

Sonoko stared blankly for a moment, and then smiled self-assuredly. "But of course," she remarked casually. "There is no case that the Deduction Queen cannot solve!"

Ran and Conan shared a knowing smile.

Sonoko suddenly linked arms with Ran. "Alright then," she decided hurriedly. "Let's get out of this creepy bathroom already."

"Ah, actually…" Ran paused for a moment, looking uneasily at the floor. "If it's alright," she proposed nervously, "I'd like to talk to Conan-kun for a bit longer."

Sonoko stared at Ran in confusion. Her eyes shot to Conan, and then back to Ran. "Did I miss something here?" she asked suspiciously. "Don't tell me you've taken that replacement husband stuff to heart?"

"No, no!" Ran replied quickly. She lowered her eyes further, her face turning red. "I just…umm, want to ask him a few questions," she stammered. "That's all."

Sonoko regarded Ran doubtfully for a moment. After a time, she seemed satisfied with the response. "Alright, I'll wait outside," she conceded. She shot her right index finger at Conan, a stern expression on her face. "But don't go getting any lovey dovey ideas!"

Ran and Conan immediately shook their heads. "It's not like that!" they protested in unison.

"Alright," Sonoko replied warily, turning on her heel. "See you in a bit," she called over her shoulder as she strode toward the entrance.

As Sonoko exited the room, Conan took a deep breath. It was obvious what Ran wanted to ask him. And he wanted to tell her everything. But… He glanced down at his small hands. He had wanted to tell her as Shinichi, after he had dealt with the Black Organization, when his revelation would come at a time that they could truly be together.

But he was no closer to the organization than he had been months ago. And he stood before Ran as Edogawa Conan. How could his revelation be anything other than a burden to Ran at this point? It was as Haibara had said. If he told Ran the truth, she would not smile. But he needed to tell Ran. He could not continue lying to Ran. It was… painful. For both of them…

"Conan-kun," Ran began slowly.

Conan held his breath. _Here it comes,_ he thought.

Ran began nervously. "Ito-san had certainly been cruel to Hiromi-chan, don't you think?"

Conan nearly fell over, thoroughly taken aback at the impromptu question. He nodded uneasily, silently attempting to discern Ran's intent behind such a question.

"After ruining her running career," Ran continued, "he confessed to his crime and laughed in her face." Ran looked at Conan. "It's difficult to see anyone as being so cold, don't you think?"

A sudden realization struck Conan. _She… she's already confirmed it,_ he thought to himself. And now she just wanted to casually talk, in a setting in which he did not have to be Conan. Ran was content without a revelation… After being separated from him for so long, she was simply happy to talk about his cases with him, as they had so often done in the past. What Ran had said, about the opportune time… So she was willing to wait until he had resolved everything, until they could truly be together. _Ran…_

Conan attempted to formulate a proper answer for Ran's question. "What Ito-san did," he said slowly, "was truly loathsome. And when he could have helped Hiromi-chan, he only pushed her over the edge." Conan placed his hands in his pockets and looked at the floor. "I know it isn't much solace," he offered, "but I know he felt a degree of remorse in the end."

Ran smiled, seeing that Conan was willing to speak freely. "How so?" she asked, prompting him to continue. One thing Shinichi could never resist was bragging about his deductions. And yet, Conan had been solving cases all this time in anonymity. Shinichi had truly matured. Ran stifled a giggle at the irony of the thought.

"If you remember," Conan replied, "Ito-san wrote that note to Hiromi-chan, and she used it to create the illusion of a suicide."

Ran nodded, listening intently.

"He had not given the note to Hiromi-chan before his death," Conan explained, "because a mere note could hardly forgive his actions." Conan narrowed his eyes. "Ito-san had written that note, fully intending it to explain his suicide."

Ran's eyes widened. "He-he was going to kill himself?" she asked in surprise. "How can you be sure?"

Conan gazed wistfully across the room. "It was that look," he answered slowly. "Before Ito-san left for the bathroom… The pain in his eyes. It was the same pain I've seen too many times before, and realized too late."

Ran bit her lip, wondering how to comfort Conan. A thought suddenly struck her. "But if he planned to kill himself," she proposed, rousing Conan from his thoughts, "surely the police would have found something to indicate that?"

Conan nodded. "That did bother me," he admitted. "But I clearly saw it." Conan closed his eyes. "Ito-san's hand was balled into a fist. The fist was tight, and yet space remained between his fingers and his palm. Within the space was a round bottle containing pills." Conan suddenly looked up, puzzled by his certainty. He turned to Ran. "But the police would have noticed something like that immediately! Why didn't they find anything?"

Ran struggled to come up with an explanation. "Maybe… they didn't think it was relevant to the case…?"

Conan shook his head. "The police thought this was a suicide. The bottle would have been very relevant…"

"But it's not like they weren't thorough," Ran reasoned. "If the bottle was in here, I'm sure the police would have found it."

"That's true," Conan mused. "Then…" He bit his lip. "Maybe someone came and took the bottle before the police began to search?"

Three knocks thundered across the bathroom. Startled, Conan and Ran turned toward the sound. Officer Hashimoto stood in the doorway. "Not interrupting anything, am I?" he asked calmly.

Ran stole a glance at Conan and turned quickly back to the officer, shaking her head. "N-No, not at all!" she insisted.

Hashimoto strolled toward the two. "Well, I'm afraid we'd like to start cleaning up in here," he said apologetically, "so we're going to need you two to go out and enjoy the park."

"O-Of course," Ran agreed. "We're done in here, right Conan-kun?"

Conan frowned, eyeing the thirtieth stall warily. He needed to search Ito-san's person thoroughly, but the police would not give a child free reign of a crime scene. And if someone had taken the bottle, he would need to investigate those who had entered the bathroom. And for what reason would they take it? Yuuta had been the first on the scene. But… no, it could just as easily have been anyone else…

"Something on your mind, kid?" Hashimoto asked plainly.

Conan turned to face Hashimoto, a childish smile on his face. "Nee oniisan," he prompted innocently, "I found a cute little bottle in here, and I had a really fun time kicking it around!" Conan's face became solemn. "But then I lost it… Do you think you can find it for me, oniisan?"

Hashimoto smiled, his dark eyes flashing with keen interest in the boy. "I'll do my best," he assured Conan.

* * *

"I'm glad they finally let us go," Nakamori Aoko said irritably, scowling at Kuroba Kaito. "I didn't appreciate being dragged into that magic show. Not one bit!"

"Well you weren't exactly the ideal assistant," Kaito shot back. "When I asked you to light the ring on fire, I don't recall saying anything about lighting _me_ on fire as well."

"I said I was sorry!" Aoko retorted. "And it was only because you kept moving it around!"

"I was juggling teacups!" Kaito countered defensively. "How was I supposed to keep the ring steady?"

"Well I'm sure it would have been just a bit easier," Aoko began softly, "if you hadn't been too busy looking under my dress at the same time!"

"It was the doves' fault!" Kaito protested. "They flew out too early because you kept stomping around like an elephant and freaking them out!"

"Of course," Aoko agreed sarcastically. "Your specially trained doves just happened to fly out after you snapped your fingers, and it just happened to be when I was standing right over the cage!" Suddenly, Aoko paused to consider the day's events. "Kaito," she began in a calmer tone, "why did you bring a suit, a gown, a ring, teacups, and doves to Tropical Land anyway?"

Kaito grinned mysteriously. "A true magician is always prepared!" he declared.

Aoko did not appear satisfied with the explanation. "Either way," she continued, "that was truly unpleasant. If I wasn't so tired from rounding up all those stupid doves, I would personally jump into the river, grab a fish with my bare hands, and throw it in your face."

Kaito's eyes widened with fear at the highly convoluted and yet easily imaginable threat. "Ah, well," he began uneasily, quickly distancing himself from Aoko's side, "let's hope it doesn't come to that…"

In his haste, Kaito suddenly collided with a young boy.

"Shin-Conan-kun!" a young woman exclaimed.

Kaito instinctively apologized and rushed to help the boy to his feet. _Wait, Conan…_ Kaito thought to himself. He looked down at the boy. He hadn't recognized him at first without his oversized glasses, but sure enough, standing before Kaito, quickly analyzing him with his deeply scrutinizing blue eyes, was none other than Edogawa Conan. _Yabbei!_ Kaito thought.

"Ah, terribly sorry!" Kaito offered quickly, "but I'm afraid we're in a rush. Bye-bye!" Kaito took a step to leave, only to have his collar grabbed by Aoko.

"Kaito," she pleaded, "let's at least make sure he's alright."

"Hai, Hai," Kaito grumbled.

Conan smiled. "Don't worry about me, oneesan," he assured Aoko cheerfully. "I'm fine!" Conan redirected his attention toward Kaito. "Nee oniisan," he continued, seeming to recognize Kaito, "I've finally found you."

Kaito struggled to maintain his poker face. Did the kid already suspect him? How? "What do you mean?" he asked coolly, his heart pounding and his mind racing.

"The police officers said you were entertaining the suspects while they were being held!" Conan explained excitedly, raising his arms for effect. "That was really cool!"

Kaito inwardly breathed a sigh of relief. "Ah, it was nothing," he insisted. He smiled and gestured toward Aoko. "We were having a good time ourselves, so we were just glad we could help the police out."

"Hmmmm," Conan mused loudly, "But still, oniisan looks very familiar…"

"Kaitou Kiddo!" Suzuki Jirokichi's voice suddenly resounded across the park.

Kaito jumped at the voice, but he promptly composed himself and began looking for its source. His eyes fell on a Jumbotron overlooking the park, on which was being broadcast a news report featuring Suzuki Jirokichi. Kaito observed the report with a smug grin. _What's the old man up to this time? _he wondered.

"Thanks to the generous donation of an anonymous benefactor," the old man continued on the Jumbotron, "I have acquired the famous gem known as the Vinyl Crystal!" A digital image of a large, awkwardly shaped, semi-opaque green gem appeared on the screen.

Kaito scoffed. _What kind of name is that for a gem?_

"The anonymous benefactor has also been generous enough to provide the building in which I will store this gem," Jirokichi added, as the screen cut back to his image. "And I'm sure," he continued, narrowing his eyes, "that since I've only just received this gem today, this is the first you are hearing of it. Therefore, I challenge you to steal the Vinyl Crystal this very night!" The old man folded his arms, a smile on his face. "I hope this doesn't inconvenience you too much."

_Eh?_ Kaito thought to himself. _Was the old man going crazy? There was no way the old man would be able to set up any legitimate defenses in time._ He frowned. Of course, _he_ didn't have much time to make plans either…

A map suddenly flashed onto the Jumbotron's screen. "As you can see," Jirokichi's voice continued in the background, the building contains five stories, and is located as the third building on the city block Onnanohako. As per the request of our anonymous benefactor, the Vinyl Crystal will be placed on the roof of the building at 10:00PM, with a camera showing live video of the gem to the crowds in the streets below." The map faded back into Jirokichi's face on the screen. "See you tonight, Kid," he called out as the transmission ended.

The park guests buzzed with excitement at the announcement. Conan and Kaito frowned, deep in thought.

"Why would the anonymous benefactor insist on placing the Vinyl Crystal on the roof?" Conan wondered aloud. "Kaitou Kid would easily be able to obtain the gem and fly off with his hanglider…"

"It certainly is strange," Kaito agreed, quickly formulating his plans for the evening.

"And they intend for everyone to see the gem via live video," Conan continued. "I wonder if there's a reason they want everyone to see the Vinyl Crystal under moonlight."

Kaito's eyes widened and he turned to Conan. "What did you say?" he asked quickly.

Conan looked taken aback. "It's going to be dark," Conan reasoned, "so the gem will only be illuminated by the light of the moon. Unless the gem itself is lit up, the live video would not pick up anything." Conan eyed Kaito uneasily. "…Oniisan?"

"A gem…" Kaito pondered, "under the light of the moon…" _Could it be… Pandora?_

* * *

Pu7o, Hmm... Kind of, but not quite. Sorry! I promise there will be a super terrific big reveal later, but I wanted to get the whole 'Conan hiding from Ran' thing out of the way ASAP so that I can fully involve Ran in the upcoming action.

Out-Of-Control-Authoress, Awwww, thank you so much! Aoyama's ten million times more genius than I am, but I'm actually going to give everyone an ending ;)

Gamer AlchemistZ, Thanks! This chapter isn't as good as the last one, since it's mainly transitional, but I hope it's enjoyable all the same.

Miruial, Welcome to the story! And thank you so much for your kind words. It really means a lot. Congrats on guessing the killer! And... Hashimoto... XD I love writing for him, 'cause he's so frickin' terrifying. Glad he's scaring everyone else too!

Roseanni, I am actually a native English speaker, but wow! You write perfect English, so I would have never guessed that you weren't a native speaker. Thank you so much for your review. I try to keep everything pretty simple, because I find that too much flowery speech just slows down the story when it isn't necessary.

bublyangel101, What you've written is definitely enough. Just knowing that you're enjoying this story really brightens my day. :)

Conan's best deduction, Hmmm, tips... I'm also a bit of a beginner in writing, but I'll help as much as I can! I'd say before you write any story, make sure you write an outline of everything you want to happen. It doesn't have to be too detailed. I come up with little things along the way and slip them in. But you should get a basic feel for your plot, characters, original characters, driving forces, and character motivation before anything else. Next I get a bit more detailed, and pick out certain factors that are important to the story. I keep these factors in mind when writing so that I can draw special attention to them to indicate their importance. Also pick out factors that you don't want the audience to notice too quickly, so you can remember to mention them, but gloss over pretty quickly. Once you have all that, you can pretty much get started writing according to your outline. If you want to get a better feel for your characters, try writing a few pages of them just hanging out and talking. Don't use it for your story, but just for practice with the characters' dispositions and reactions to other characters. Hope that helps! Best of luck to you. If you submit anything to ff, I'll gladly read it and offer up some suggestions.

AngelOfTheHealingLight, You can definitely use those quotes on your profile. :) Wow, I'm completely flattered. Thank you so much for asking. And Takagi... He's a commonly recurring character throughout the series. In the earlier seasons, he is tan with brown spiky hair, but he gets progressively paler and his hair gets longer and less spiky. He's the detective that is usually acting as Megure's right-hand-man on the crime scenes. He's really nervous and awkward, but he's actually a really good, committed detective. And he's completely in love with another detective on the force, Sato Miwako. You can read about him more if you look up the Detective Conan world Wiki, and then Wataru Takagi.

ncil, Thank you so much! I'm so glad you're enjoying the story.

Anonymous Reader 1, Haha, it's fine. I've been away from this site for a while myself. But yeah, I always like the murderers with the really tragic backstories, so I tried to create that. I also reasoned that it'd be easiest to write for a murderer I could identify with, so the Hiromi character and her backstory is loosely based on my own experiences. I went to university on a full scholarship, and then my Track coach basically ruined my life, and called me a failure to my face. Haha, I'm over it now, but writing Ito-san's death might have been just a bit therapeutic...

LEP-Surface Division, You're fine, no need to be descriptive. :D I'm just ecstatic to read that you enjoyed the story so far.


	9. Friends and Phones

Hey everyone! I am out of school for the next few weeks until the start of the new year, so I will be updating weekly until then! Happy holidays! I wish you all the greatest happiness, as you have all given me with your generous reviews, favorites, story alerts, and through simply reading this fanfic. 3

A few characters will be introduced with non-Japanese names, so when their names are first said by one of the characters, I'm going to write it out as how they pronounce it, followed by the appropriate katakana in parentheses. After that, I'll proceed to write the names as we write them in English for the rest of the story. Basically, this is all just so you know how their names are being pronounced in the context of the story. Let me know if it's distracting or you don't like it.

A quick heads up, this chapter contains a few allusions to some of the more recent anime and manga arcs. I tried not to spoil too much for those of you who haven't been following the current arcs, but at the same time, I kind of need to mention them in order to move toward the end. I'm really sorry if this chapter spoils anything. Caveat emptor!

* * *

Conan brought his hand thoughtfully to his chin. There was something about this latest challenge that bothered him… Granted, Jirokichi was always trying to gain an advantage over Kaitou Kid. So couldn't the immediacy of this challenge simply reflect Jirokichi's relentless commitment to capturing the infamous thief? But there was something more… No concrete details to investigate – just an ominous feeling of dread within his heart. But of what?

And the name of the gem – the Vinyl Crystal – was somehow familiar, and unnerving. Where had he heard that name before? And then there was that guy who ran into him… Why did he look so familiar? And despite the young man's outward calm, his eyes told a different story. As soon as Conan had mentioned moonlight, he had seen a certain fire creep into his eyes – a fearful yet passionate commitment, similar to his own drive toward the Black Organization.

Something about the night's impending heist was deeply important to the young man. But why?

"Hey, little rascal…"

Conan glanced up quickly to see Officer Hashimoto standing before him.

He pulled a phone from his pocket and offered it to Conan. "We almost forgot to give your phone back," he continued, smiling warmly.

"Ah, thank you oniisan!" Conan remarked cheerfully. "Nee," he continued in a more serious tone, "did you happen to find anything…?"

Hashimoto eyed the boy warily, contemplating the best response. Finally, he knelt down to Conan's level. "You mean the bottle you were playing with, right?"

Conan nodded.

"Well," Hashimoto continued apologetically, "it's just a plaything, so it's not that important, right?"

Conan opened his mouth to respond, but then paused a moment to consider his words. "Actually," Conan admitted, "it may be more important than that." He looked at the ground. "Sonoko-neechan thinks it may have contained pills for committing suicide, so she says they should be found as soon as possible."

A bemused smile crept onto Hashimoto's face. "Hoh!" he exclaimed. "That's an interesting deduction. Does she have any evidence?"

Conan bit his lip, knowing he did not. It was all a hunch in the end, but he was so sure… "Not exactly," he finally conceded.

Hashimoto patted Conan's head. "Well," he remarked, "we didn't find anything, so it's probably nothing, right?"

Conan nodded slowly.

Hashimoto stood up. "You can tell Suzuki-san," he said plainly, "that it is dangerous to jump to conclusions too quickly. No logical deduction can be made on just a hunch. If you have no proof, then you do not truly know anything." He looked down at Conan. "Right?"

"Y-yeah, more or less," Conan agreed.

Hashimoto smiled and turned from Conan. He reached into his pockets and strode back toward the bathroom. _Little rascal, _he thought to himself, stroking the bottle of APTX-4869 pills in his left pocket, _who exactly are you?_

_It's certainly true,_ Conan thought to himself, watching Hashimoto leave, _that I made a broad speculation with little foundation._ _But to say I know nothing is a bit hasty…_

Conan's phone began ringing. It was from Agasa-hakase's number. Conan answered the phone and brought it to his ear. "Hey, what's up?" he asked, mildly annoyed at the interruption.

"Kudo-kun," the soft voice of Haibara Ai whispered, "are you going to the heist tonight?"

"Yeah, probably," Conan answered. "They always ask me to go, and besides, it's always a bit refreshing after dealing with so many murder cases..."

"Have they asked you to go tonight?" Haibara prompted.

"Not yet," Conan replied. "Why?"

Haibara was silent for a moment. "Just let the police handle the case this time," she finally commanded hurriedly.

Conan raised an eyebrow agitatedly. "Oi, what's going on?" he asked.

"Just don't go tonight, okay?" Haibara continued, her voice rising anxiously.

"Baaaaaaka," Conan said flatly. "If you're going to be like that, then I definitely have to go. You know, my stupid detective curiosity, and all that."

"This is serious," Haibara hissed. She sighed and waited a moment before continuing. "You can't go. It – It's a trap."

Conan's eyes widened, his interest piqued. "Is- is it them?"

"Of course. But it has nothing to do with you. This scenario is clearly directed at capturing Miyano Shiho, the despicable traitor who continues to walk among the living."

"Your descriptions are charming as always," Conan commented sarcastically. "How do you know this is a plan to catch you specifically?"

"Oh, I would have thought the great detective Kudo Shinichi would have noticed. But it doesn't matter. Gin left me a very clear message on the broadcast. And that fabricated name for the so-called priceless gem is a complete joke."

"And I'm guessing you aren't going to tell me what any of that means," Conan predicted wryly.

"Naturally," Haibara agreed. "But I will tell you this," she continued, concern in her voice. "The third building of Onnanohako city block was, until six months ago, the Biochemical Branch's headquarters where I conducted my research."

Conan drew in his breath but remained silent, listening to each word carefully.

"But don't go thinking you'll find anything there," Haibara went on. "They rotate each branch's headquarters every three months, so nothing remains there, other than the maximum security they employed to protect the building. Every door, window, and room is constructed to maintain complete control. They will no doubt be using it tonight, so no matter how clever a scheme you devise, you will not be able to escape their clutches."

Conan took in the information. "Oi, Haibara," he interrupted, "they know you are fully aware of the systems in place, so why would they expect you to be lured into this completely obvious trap?"

Haibara was silent for a minute. "Maybe they think they have something I want, something I would risk my own safety to acquire."

"Do they?" Conan asked.

There was a pause. "No, of course not," Haibara said slowly. "Even if they did, I'm not so stupid and impetuous that I would poke my nose into business of this kind. I will not be there, and you should not go either."

Conan scratched his cheek absentmindedly, considering the situation. "Nee, Haibara," he began after a time, "is Subaru-san at my house right now?"

Haibara was taken aback at the change of topic. "He is," she replied angrily. "He's almost always there, and I know he's watching me every moment. Why you decided to install my doom right next door is beyond me, but I hope you're happy."

"Ah, no, you don't have to worry about Subaru-san," Conan insisted. "If anything, I'd say he wants to watch out for you."

"Baka," Haibara whispered coldly. "I know he is one of them. I can feel the same unmistakable pressure."

Conan was silent for a minute. "Well," he said finally, "try to be more receptive to him. I promise that with Subaru-san there, you are safer than you were before. Anyway, I've got to go. I'll see you later."

"Good-bye, Kudo-kun," Haibara muttered despondently.

Conan sighed. He had ended the conversation a bit abruptly, but the close danger of the Black Organization meant he needed to discuss some things with Ran. He turned to his side, only to see Ran on her phone as well.

"I told you, otou-san!" Ran repeated into the phone, "I can't make dinner for you tonight. Conan-kun and I will be at the Kaitou Kid heist, so we won't be home until very late."

"But Ran, you don't understand!" Kogoro pleaded anxiously on the other line. "Your mother said she was going to come over for dinner to drop something off! If you leave me alone with her, she's just going to nag me about every single thing I do wrong, which will definitely include preparing dinner."

"Just make something simple," Ran suggested, "like soup or something."

Kogoro groaned. "That's still too difficult, and she'd probably hate it anyway. Not like she'd be able to make any better… Maybe I'll just make absolutely nothing, and if she gets mad about it, then I can tell her it's her own fault for taking issue with everything I try to do."

"Otou-san…" Ran grumbled irritably, "you know that won't help anything."

"It will serve her right," Kogoro pouted. "I don't need her criticism."

Ran sighed. "Don't you realize this is exactly why mom left?"

"Huh?"

"It's not your flaws she takes issue with," Ran explained agitatedly. She's bothered by the attitude you assume where if any task is too daunting, or you're afraid of failure, you just give up. She just wanted to see you make an effort. When you quit the police force to become a private detective, mom supported you because she knew that had always been your dream. But when your first couple of cases ran cold, you gave up right away. When mom saw that, she became afraid of committing her life and love to someone who could lose sight of what was important to him so easily."

Kogoro was silent.

"So… please just try," Ran continued. "It's okay to mess up. But if you put a little effort into your relationship with mom, I know she'll come back."

"Hmmm" Kogoro mused. "Maybe I-" Suddenly, he caught himself. "Bah! Why would I want that troublesome woman back? So she can cook her inedible food and yell at me all day long? No thank you!"

Ran sighed, wondering if her heartfelt words had left any impression at all. "Well if you don't want her to stick around," Ran stated plainly, "cook a terrible dinner so she'll want to leave. Conan-kun and I will be home late."

With that, she hung up her phone and turned to Conan. She suddenly realized that he had been watching the entire time.

"Ah, sorry!" she said quickly. "You- you know how dad gets. Sometimes you need to get firm with him…"

Conan nodded. "Ran, about tonight-"

"Oh, don't worry about me," Ran interrupted. She knelt down to whisper in his ear. "I'll stay out of your way so you can investigate like you always do, but hopefully I can help you out a bit too!" she offered enthusiastically.

"Actually, Ran…" Conan studied his shoes, hating himself for what he was about to say. "I would rather you stay at home tonight."

Ran stared blankly for a moment, the previous moment's enthusiasm draining from her face. "O-Oh, of course," she finally agreed. "I'm sorry," she said, shaking her head. "Sometimes I get carried away with my own agenda and come to the wrong conclusions…" Ran wrung her hands nervously, watching her fingers intently. "It-it's not like what you said to me in London was completely clear, so maybe I misinterpreted it, which is totally fine, and… ummm… Conan-kun is still welcome to stay at our house – that is, if you want to, and-"

"Ran," Conan cut in sharply, "it's not like that." He nervously met her gaze. "It's just, there are some things you don't know… And tonight is going to be very dangerous…"

"Then," Ran began, "Then all the more reason for me to go with you, so I can help."

Conan bit his lip. What could he say? "Please," he began, grasping Ran's hands in his own. "Ran, you're the most important person in the world to me. If I succeed in anything tonight, I would have it be in keeping you safe."

Ran drew in her breath silently, lingering over the clear, delicate words, her heart beating quickly within her chest. "But Conan-kun," Ran protested quietly, "can't you see that I feel the same way?" Ran forced a laugh. "We're both being stubborn about protecting the other, so surely, wouldn't the proper compromise be to simply stay together, where our chances of success would be greatest?"

Conan looked at the ground, wondering what to do. It was sound logic. An opportunity to reach out to the Black Organization might never come again, but at the same time, Haibara's warning had fully convinced him of the danger of the evening. Was pursuing this opportunity indeed worth the cost of endangering Ran? Of course not. So why couldn't he convince himself not to go?

"Ran!" Sonoko shouted excitedly, rushing over to the two. "Occhan sent a car to come get us for the heist, since he wants Chibi-chan to be there." She stopped in front of Ran, grinning excitedly. "That brat of yours is my front-row ticket to meet Kid-sama! Let's get going!"

Ran stood up, smiling down at Conan. "Let's go," she whispered sweetly, offering her hand out to Conan.

* * *

Bourbon sat in the front seat of his car, parked outside the Tokyo Fire Department headquarters. He drummed his fingers absentmindedly on the dash board, analyzing the day's events. Suddenly, he spotted the FBI agent Jodie Starling reemerging from the building. _Alright,_ he thought to himself, _let's see where you will go from here, Jodie-san…_

Jodie looked over her shoulder and quickly crossed the street to her car. Bourbon watched as she pulled away, glancing down at his GPS to make sure that the tracking device on her car was continuing to transmit. Bourbon stretched his arms and sighed. He was almost sorry that this was becoming resolved so easily, and after such minimal prompting. Love truly was the most damning of all human traits…

Bourbon's phone began to vibrate. He checked the caller ID and smirked. _How ironic_, he thought, _being called at this time by one of love's greatest puppets_. Bourbon answered the call on his headset as he began maneuvering his car along Jodie's route, maintaining a considerable distance.

"How did it go?" he asked routinely.

"It went relatively well, albeit in an unexpected manner," his companion answered.

"Good," Bourbon replied. "Then I trust their deaths were plausible, and you've retrieved the bottle?"

"I did retrieve it," his companion affirmed, "but it turns out that he didn't go through with killing the girl. I guess you were correct in your prediction."

Bourbon laughed. "But of course. Ito-san was a petty gambler with absolutely no claim to intelligence. He was weak, and that's why he resolved to kill himself in the end. Tell me, how did you deal with the girl?"

"Well, this you won't believe," his companion began, "but she ended up killing Ito-san for us, so she's going to be put away for murder with malice of forethought. That takes her out of the picture completely, so we didn't even need to give Ito-san the pills to kill her."

"Splendid," Bourbon concluded. "Once again, the disgusting nature of man works to our advantage. And nobody saw the pills, correct?"

His companion was silent for a moment.

"Shunappusu (シュナップス)?"

"No, of course not," Schnapps reassured Bourbon. "But I do need to check in later on this one kid, just to be safe."

"Be sure you do," Bourbon agreed. "According to Anokata, we are moving into the final phase of our plan. We need to thoroughly cover our tracks now more than ever."

"I understand," Schnapps affirmed formally.

"In fact," Bourbon continued, "The Information Branch is currently conducting a full audit of the system. They've caught a few blips and forwarded them to our department for verification. Would you mind if I assign a few to you?"

"Not at all," Schnapps replied. "I welcome any work I can do to help bring justice to the world. You know I would give everything to make this a better place for her."

"Of course," Bourbon agreed, smiling to himself. "That's why I can always count on your commitment." He paused for a moment, glancing down at his GPS. Jodie had stopped outside of an apartment building that had burned down recently. She definitely had a lead. How exciting.

"Oh, and I won't be there tonight," Schnapps remarked offhandedly, "so maybe you can just give me the assignments right now."

"Certainly," Bourbon agreed, putting his car into park and watching Jodie intently. "I'll send you the files."

"Alright," Schnapps consented. "Will that be all?"

"That will be all," Bourbon confirmed. "Have a good evening."

"And you," Schnapps replied. After ending the call, Schnapps opened his mail. _Let's see_, he thought to himself, beginning with the first file he had been sent.

_File 1: Victim's death confirmed under unreliable circumstances_

_Cause of death: Ingestion of APTX-4869 poison; confirmed by OPSAgents CN Gin, Vodka. Site of death: Zone13076/332/476; confirmed by OPSAgents CN Gin, Vodka._

_Police inspection of site yields no report of corpse***, stipulation: confirmation of victim's blood at site; confirmed by INFAgent CN Absinthe_

_Secondary Inspection: Household- victim's death confirmed by BCRAgent CN Sherry***_

Schnapps nodded as he skimmed the contents. _Alright, seems pretty straightforward. I simply need to confirm the death of this victim. Name: Kudo Shinichi._

* * *

Pu7o, Thank you so much! I'm glad you liked it, because I was really worried about how my lack of a proper confession would be received.

Miruial, Haha, there's definitely something going on, but none of our characters know the full story yet…

GamerAlchemistZ, Wow, thank you thank you thank you!

Roseanni, I think it was a tad short, but I was kind of busy with school. Sorry about that! And yeah, you know Conan will figure it out, because he's just totally awesome like that.

Chelseaj500, Thanks! I'm glad you like it. Welcome to the story! Anata wa kangei shite iru.

Out-Of-Control-Authoress, Haha, I'm sorry! I promise the next chapter will surely come with utmost swiftness. ;)

Bobbyneko, Don't worry. Conan knows Kaito looks familiar, but he doesn't know yet. He's a good detective, but he isn't a mind-reader. But thank you so much for your kind words! I'm glad Hashimoto is coming along well as a character. Oh, and welcome to the story! :)

Klette290595, Yay! Thank you so much! There are several reasons Conan hasn't told Ran yet. He definitely wants to tell her, but at the same time he's afraid of it. He's afraid he might endanger Ran, and he's afraid of burdening Ran with the information. Also, although Conan won't acknowledge it within his own mind, part of him doesn't want to tell Ran because he feels like less of a man, since of course, he's a child. He is deeply in love with Ran, but they are not together yet, so he doesn't fully know that Ran will accept him for who he is. Like… When you hang out with someone you have a crush on, you tend to want to wear your nicer clothes instead of just baggy sweats. It's kind of like that. Conan doesn't want Ran to see him as a child. He wants her to see him as a strong man who can love her and protect her. That's about where I'm coming from when I don't think Conan should tell her everything yet. Welcome to the story!

AngelOfTheHealingLight, Thank you so much! I know, I want to write all about Shinichi and Ran getting together RIGHT NOW, but it will have so much more meaning if I build up to it…

Crystal Nephesia Hawklaw, Thanks! Wow, that's a lot of reading all at once! I'm so glad it held your interest that long. I'm always afraid of making each chapter too long in case people don't want to read through the whole chapter, but 8 chapters – wow! I salute you! Welcome to the story!


	10. Pandora's Building: Introduction

Alright, this chapter took a while to come together. I had a hard time expressing some of the details, but I think it turned out well in the end. Thank you thank you thank you to every one of you that reads, reviews, +story alerts, or favorites this story. Words cannot express how greatly I appreciate the support. If any of you have your own Detective Conan fanfictions, feel free to let me know, and I'd love to read, review, and support all of you as well!

* * *

Jodie stopped for a moment to regard the charred remains before her, a shattered memory of the building that had once stood there. This was the address the fire department had given her, the Mokubasou Apartment Building – the site where it had been found, relatively undamaged after being consumed by the flames. What did all of this mean?

Jodie closed her eyes, reflecting on the odd events that had brought her to this building.

"We don't normally do this," the man behind the front desk at the Fire Department Headquarters had said to Jodie. "So many items get left behind in burned buildings, and they're usually burned beyond repair, so the original owners don't even want them back."

Jodie had nodded slowly, convinced the entire situation had to be a mistake. The man turned from Jodie and began perusing a collection of square plastic containers stacked behind his desk. He selected one container, marked "Mokubasou at Beika City, 2nd District, #23", and turned back toward Jodie, placing the container on the front desk.

"But every now and then," he continued, popping the lid off of the container, "some of the previous residents ask us to retrieve a few of their valuables." The man began digging through the container, filled with model cars dirtied by ash. "This kid who lived in the building," he reflected with a smile, "asked us to get his model cars back to him."

"They collected the cars easily enough," he recalled, "and then one of the boys found…" The man pulled a golden, heart-shaped locket on a gold chain from the container. "This piece of jewelry!" he exclaimed excitedly.

Jodie regarded the locket with wide eyes.

"It appears to be pretty valuable," the man continued, "so we asked the landlord if any of his tenants were missing it. He said they had not said anything, so the boys were perplexed about what to do with this." The man paused to open the locket, revealing a charred photograph of Jodie within. "But when they showed it to me," the man announced proudly, "one look at those fine foreign features and I knew this was my son's old English teacher, Jodie Starling." He beamed at Jodie from behind the desk. "I got your contact info from the school, and here we are!"

Jodie remained silent and motionless for a moment, taking in the information. Then slowly, she reached out and took the locket from the man's outstretched hand. She traced her fingers along its grooves, feeling for the engraving – there. Jodie turned the locket over to examine the engraved letters. They read: "Forever yours, Jodie". Jodie nearly dropped the locket. It was the same. The same one she had given him, so many years ago. Shuu… She covered her mouth with her hand, struggling to take everything in.

She struggled to compose herself. "Did- Did this belong to one of the tenants?" she finally asked.

The man drew his breath apologetically through clenched teeth. "We don't really know," he confessed. "But surely you remember the lucky man to whom you gave that…?" The man smiled slyly. "Unless, of course, you have a string of broken-hearted men, all bearing these lockets as painful reminders…" He raised his eyebrows suggestively.

Jodie blushed involuntarily. "N-no," she stammered. "I know to whom this belongs. It's just…" Jodie paused, and then turned quickly to face the man. "Would I be able to acquire the contact information for the previous tenants?"

The man looked taken aback. "Er, no," he answered. "I'm afraid we can't reveal information like that…"

Jodie shook her head, coming back to her senses. "No, of course not," she agreed. "Would you tell me the address of the building where this locket was found?"

The man nodded. He jotted an address down on a slip of paper and handed it to Jodie. "There you are," he said. Below the address was the man's phone number. "If you don't find your man, maybe you could give me a call," he offered smoothly.

Jodie backed away from the front desk slowly. "Okay!" she said in English, an enthusiastic look plastered on her face to mask the repulsion within. "Thank you for your time." Jodie had then turned and left the Fire Department Headquarters, made her way to her car, and driven to the site of the burned-down Mokubasou apartment building.

Jodie opened her eyes, once more regarding the charred building before her. She silently wondered why she had bothered coming here. What had she expected to find? In the end, it was just a burned building. If Shuu had been there… If he had been the one who left behind the locket, he was not here anymore. It was just an abandoned building.

She glanced down at the locket in her hand. How long… How long ago had she given this to him? Jodie once again unclasped the golden heart with a flick of her thumb. Too long… So many years ago, the memories themselves dull and grey, faded from the passage of time. But they would never fade completely – the memories, her feelings, even this cheap locket – so she would never forget that it had been real.

It had been real. He had been real. There was no question in her mind. The memories, though dull, nevertheless persisted as indisputable truths. But the truths of the present were so much more…obscure… It was all a dizzying array of surrealism in which the line between reality and fiction was blurred, truth and fantasy dancing in and out of each realm.

Akai Shuichi was dead. She had personally given Conan's phone to the police. The fingerprints matched. It was indisputable proof. Truth. Reality. And yet she could not bring herself to accept it. Something within her believed, or maybe just wished, he was still alive.

But then she had seen him, at the bank and the shopping mall. It was not just fantasy. He had physically been there. But… She could not accept that either. That man… She wanted to believe it was him, but something in her heart rejected that idea as well. But that written message she found in the shopping mall… Not one element of reality corroborated the idea that Shuichi had written it, but her mind nevertheless clung to that thought with unwavering conviction.

She knew. There was no question. But everything she knew was contrary to the perceived reality. So what was the true illusion? Had reality been obscured, or were the convictions of her mind nothing but delusion? Delusion, brought on by grief over the loss of a loved one. It was an easy explanation. Everything could be resolved with easy explanations. But Jodie rejected them. They were all wrong. All…wrong.

_No_, Jodie told herself. _Focus on the truth._ Jodie returned her attention to the locket in her hand. The locket was real. She had given it to Shuichi, many years ago. It had been found in the ruins of this burned building.

Suddenly, a young boy emerged from behind a pile of wreckage on the left side of the building, interrupting Jodie's introspection. He stared intently at the ground, idly circling around the front of the house. He appeared to be searching for something, but without success. He sighed, glancing casually around the house. His eyes passed leisurely over the building's remains, and then quickly darted toward Jodie. The boy, startled, froze on the spot.

Jodie, similarly startled by the boy's sudden appearance, paused a moment before speaking. "Hi!" she finally offered congenially. "My name is Jodie. What's yours?"

The boy studied Jodie, a puzzled look on his face. "Sugiura Kaito," he mumbled quietly.

"Kaito-kun," Jodie continued, "what are you doing in a place like this? Are your parents nearby?"

The boy suddenly smiled. "Ah!" he exclaimed. "You're the obasan from the locket!"

Jodie inhaled sharply. "W-What?" she stammered.

"The red guy," Kaito explained, "He had this heart locket with your picture inside. I saw him looking at it every day."

Jodie slowly edged closer to the boy. "Red…guy?" she repeated curiously.

Kaito nodded. "Like a fire truck!" he exclaimed, "because he watered the flowers every day. I asked if you were his girlfriend, but he said that he hurt you, so he needed to fade from your memory so you could find happiness again." The boy scratched his head absentmindedly. "Though I'm not sure I understand," he confessed. "My mom and dad are always happy when they're together, so wouldn't he make you happier if you two were together?"

Jodie knelt down in front of Kaito, her eyes wide. "That… red guy," she prompted anxiously, "do you know where he is?"

Kaito shook his head. "He used to live here with me, my parents, and the other tenants, but I haven't seen him since the house burned down…" The boy despondently surveyed the area. "My dad tells me not to play here, but… it feels like it's still my home."

Jodie placed her hand on the boy's shoulder sympathetically. "Can I walk you home so your dad doesn't have to worry?" she asked sweetly.

Kaito nodded. He reached out to grasp Jodie's hand and began to lead her down the street. "It's not very far," he assured her.

Jodie nodded, pondering Kaito's "red guy". Could it have been Shuu? The "red guy" was a man who had been in possession of the locket she had given to Akai Shuichi, but that did not necessarily mean the two were one and the same. And would Shuichi have really kept the locket for so long? She had assumed he'd thrown it away long ago, when he had ended their relationship.

Would not the "red guy" then simply be another man who had acquired it? Perhaps he found it, or purchased it, or perhaps it had passed through the hands of many owners, serving as a silly, useless trinket. But… Jodie flipped open the locket. Then why did her picture remain inside?

Was it her picture the "red guy" had continually looked at? And was she the one whose memory he wished to fade from? Would… Would Shuichi really feel that way? He had always seemed so cold. It was to be expected, of course. He had fallen in love with another woman, who was subsequently killed for her involvement with him. Such an experience would surely poison him against any sort of relationship.

But could the "red guy" be Shuichi? Could he really be alive, and was she really so close to finding him? It was all almost too good to be true…

"We're here," Kaito announced, releasing Jodie's hand. He stepped toward the door and turned to face Jodie. "Thank you, Jodie-san," he said graciously.

Jodie nodded, still lost in her thoughts.

Kaito smiled. "I hope you find him!" he suddenly remarked. "Then maybe you can kiss and make up!"

Jodie smiled uneasily. "Ah, I'm afraid it doesn't work that way," she explained gently.

"You look a lot like him," Kaito added.

"Heh?" Jodie shot Kaito a puzzled look. As far as she and Shuichi were concerned, no two people could look more different…

Kaito nodded enthusiastically. "Because you both wear glasses," he explained, "and you both have light-colored hair of the same length. And you're both strong, and tall, and have a commanding presence."

Jodie felt her heart sink. The last part may have described Shuichi, but the rest was all wrong… Who was the man Kaito was describing? Who had held Shuichi's locket, with her picture inside? And why?

* * *

"Absolutely not!" exclaimed Inspector Nakamori Ginzo, folding his arms over his chest.

"Then why did I bring him here?" Suzuki Jirokichi retorted. "To watch helplessly as the jewel gets stolen?"

"A crime scene is no place for a kid," Nakamori reasoned. "This kid," he said, pointing at Conan, "will just have to amuse himself among the other spectators."

Jirokichi scoffed. "You police and your stuffy rules," he lamented. "If you really wanted to catch Kid, you would know that this kid is the best chance we have."

Nakamori eyed Jirokichi coldly. "There will be no debate on the matter," he asserted. He then turned and strode towards his men who had assembled outside the building.

"Sheesh," Jirokichi remarked as the inspector was out of earshot. He leaned over to address Conan. "I'll keep working on him, but in the meantime, let me introduce you to our devices we will be employing for the evening."

Conan nodded and followed along behind the old man. He cast a quick glance toward Ran, who walked right beside him. Ran, sensing Conan's gaze, turned toward Conan, who immediately looked away, his face flashing bright red. Conan slowly glanced back toward Ran, who, upon catching Conan's gaze, turned her face forward quickly, blush spreading across her face.

_Say something!_ Conan commanded himself. The two had been silent the entire drive over. The tension was so palpable that he was surprised Sonoko had not noticed anything amiss before she had left them, hoping to gain access to the building. _Of course_, he thought wryly, _she was too busy talking about meeting her Kid-sama to notice much_ _of anything_…

"Kichida-san, this is Edogawa Conan, our little thief-catcher," Jirokichi announced.

Conan shook himself from his thoughts. They now stood under a temporary tent-like structure that had been erected beside the building that would be used for the heist. A long table stretched across the space under the tent, itself covered in five computer monitors. A young woman, dressed casually and with long brown hair, stood up from her seat behind the computers.

She rendered a polite bow. "I'm Kichida Kita," she said formally in a soft voice. "Nice to meet you."

"Kichida-san," Jirokichi prompted, "would you explain the plans to Conan-kun here? I need to go talk to the inspector."

Kita nodded, biting her lip nervously.

"Alright," Jirokichi grumbled. He turned and walked briskly from the group.

"Okay, umm…" Kita began, seating herself once more in front of the computers. "It's a pretty straightforward plan," she admitted.

Conan and Ran moved closer to the monitors to watch Kita's work.

"This building used to be used for an animal testing facility," she explained, "and as such, they have several security features in place to prevent the animals from escaping."

Kita opened a blueprint image of the building. She highlighted the doors in red, revealing an immense number of them – three doors alone guarded the entrance to each room. "Each door is made from a thick sheet of steel," she continued, "so it is impossible to pass through any door without the proper clearance."

"What is the clearance?" Conan asked grimly.

Kita smiled timidly. "That's where I come in," she answered, her soft voice taking on a slightly higher volume in her enthusiasm. Kita gestured towards her various computers below the table on which the monitors stood. "This is our command center, where we will be controlling everything." Kita glanced around uncertainly. "It's just me right now, but I'll of course have Suzuki-san and Nakamori-keibu here to give the tactical orders. As soon as Kid sets foot inside the building, we will be able to trap him quite easily."

"What about the roof?" Conan asked. "The gem is on the roof, so couldn't Kid simply land on the roof and then leave without ever entering the building?"

Kita stared blankly for a moment. "Oh, of course," she finally said. "I forgot to show you…" Kita opened a window displaying a blueprint of the top of the building. "This is only a simulation, but when he lands on the roof-" Kita clicked, and on the screen, the outermost ledges of the roof, which extended in a sort of overhanging ledge around the building, began to fold upwards like a flower, enclosing the space on the roof.

"It happens far too quickly for anyone to escape," Kita continued. "I was honestly confused why an animal testing facility would come with a feature like this," Kita admitted frankly, "but then Suzuki-san told me it was mandated to maintain quarantine of the animals." Kita furrowed her brow and chewed on her thumbnail absentmindedly. "I- I guess that makes sense…" she concluded uncertainly.

Conan examined the setup, thoroughly impressed with the extensive technology. "And the system you're using to manually control the doors," Conan began, "did that come with the building too?"

Kita bit her lip again and shook her head. She then turned and began rummaging through a purse at her feet. She drew a card from within and held it to her chest.

"The building came with the doors controlled locally by entering codes into them," she explained, "but Jirokichi-san wanted them all controlled in one central location, so he hired us…" She handed the card from her purse to Conan. "We are the most widely acclaimed security research and installment corporation in the Kanto region." Kita glanced apprehensively toward the computers, seeming to gain confidence as she continued. "This particular system is actually my own design, so the big boys at the corporation let a silly little computer programmer like me come down for this job." Kita's timid smile grew. "It-it's exciting, isn't it?"

Conan nodded slowly, going over the details in his head.

"Would it be possible for Kid to override your controls?" Ran asked.

Kita shook her head. "As a security corporation, we have access to some of the best guards against corruption. It would be nearly impossible for an outside source to gain control." Suddenly, Kita straightened up. "Ah, Nakamori-keib-"

Conan felt himself lifted off the ground. "This kid is not going near that gem," Nakamori asserted, "no matter how badly you want him up there."

Jirokichi grumbled to himself, but said no more on the subject. Nakamori, followed closely by Ran, carried Conan away from the group and toward the fence keeping the numerous spectators away from the center of operation. He set him down gently and knelt to address him.

"We really appreciate your enthusiasm, kid," he confessed, "but this situation is much too dangerous for a child, no matter how smart you are. We'll let you stay on this side of the fence, but for tonight, just stay here with Mouri-san and be a kid for a change, alright?"

Conan glanced around to make sure their conversation was private. "Kaitou Kid does not harm anyone," Conan stated flatly, "so Nakamori-keibu would not be afraid of that. This leads me to ask: how much do you really know about tonight, Kid-san?"

* * *

Klette290595, Haha, yes. That would be ideal, wouldn't it?

Pu7o, Sorry! You misunderstand. Schnapps doesn't know who Kudo Shinichi is either. He got the name from the message he was reading, forwarded to him by Bourbon. Shinichi's name only came up because the Information Branch is conducting a full audit of the system, and Shinichi's death has been confirmed, but it has two outstanding issues: the police did not report the discovery of a corpse in the area, and Sherry was the one who confirmed the death. So they sent that file, among many, to Bourbon's department for verification. But I'm glad you liked the reference to the London arc! Since this is my attempt at the ending of the story, I have to keep it current! :)

Out-Of-Control-Authoress, I know! I loved Shinichi's confession. Still not straightforward enough though… As far as the important thing to Ai goes, I had a really hard time coming up with it, and I'm still not very happy with it, so maybe your idea is better…? Only if you want to tell me, of course. I'd welcome and give full credit for your input though!

Chelseaj500, Haha, in Detective Conan, EVERYONE is suspicious! XD

Miruial , Yup yup, lots of trouble brewing on the horizon! Thanks for mentioning Heiji; I really need to bring him to Tokyo soon. I have a bunch of stuff I want him to do, but he needs a good reason to come over all the way from Osaka, lol.

Gamer AlchemistZ, Thank you so much!

Mirai M. Mieux, Thank you! I really appreciate your kind words. Welcome to the story!

AngelOfTheHealingLight , Awwww thank you! That really means a lot to me. I respond to everyone because I am SO deeply thankful, I feel like this is the least I can do! I loved your oneshot, by the way. Let me know if you write any more Detective Conan fics, and I'll be sure to read them!

bubblyangel101, Thank you so much for your extensive comment. I actually read your review immediately after I wrote the segment with Jodie, so I literally laughed out loud at the irony. While I try not to reveal too much of the plot so that you can all enjoy the mystery, I am sensing that you uphold Detective Conan canon as devoutly as I do, so I would like to put your mind at ease. I came to a similar conclusion when Subaru-san was introduced in the manga, and I have planned my story with this in mind. I am a HUGE Detective Conan fan, so I am striving to make everything as plausibly canon as possible. I want this to be an ending that could really fit the story. Once again, thank you so much for your input. It is always welcome, but thankfully, in this case, I have been in full agreement with you from the beginning. In chapter 9, some of the things Conan says to Haibara give a pretty clear indication of Subaru's intent, and Conan's knowledge of it. And of course, this chapter has the Jodie segment. Hope it is all to your liking! Let me know if something else comes up in which I am straying from canon. Otherwise, it's great to hear that someone shares my opinion of Subaru!


	11. Pandora's Building: Visible Spectrum

Wow, we're about to enter the new year, 2011! Thank you everyone for following, reviewing, adding the story to your alerts, favoriting, and of course, for reading! You are all so wonderful, and your support has really given me strength to overcome some obstacles in my life, so I am very grateful to each and every one of you.

Alright, but my appreciation for all of you aside, I want to bring something up that's a bit more serious. As humble as I try to be, I do indeed take a great deal of pride in this story. I have worked very hard on it, and I am constantly striving to make it better. If you find certain aspects of my story appealing, and you would like to include them in your own fanfic, PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE ASK ME FIRST. I promise I won't bite, and as long as you are not blatantly copying me, I will usually approve. But taking elements of my story without asking is PLAGIARISM, and with this act, you are disrespecting everything for which we stand as writers. Upon discovering these infractions against me, I will first attempt to contact the writer to discuss the plagiarism. If this does not resolve the issue, I may be forced to report it to the site. I DO NOT want to do this to anyone, but I also do not want my story to be stolen. Thank you everyone for reading.

Sorry if this chapter is a bit boring, with Conan, Ran, and Kid butting heads about petty little things. Unfortunately, they're all quite stubborn in their own ways, so with them working together, they'd have to argue and try to protect each other a bunch before actually getting anything done.

* * *

Nakamori stood up and folded his arms, a bemused smile spreading across his face. "You never cease to amaze, tantei-kun," he remarked coolly.

"So…?" Conan prompted. "This is clearly more than a routine heist, is it not?"

Nakamori waved his index finger back and forth. "Tut tut tut," he replied smoothly. "The detective doesn't need to ask questions." He turned around, placing his hands behind his head. "And besides, this is only an ordinary job. I will conduct my business as usual, and you, tantei-kun, are simply not invited to the party." He began to walk away self-assuredly.

"I commend you for your caution," Conan called after him, "but I assure you, your efforts are wasted. I am already well aware of tonight's significance."

Nakamori stopped and turned back toward Conan and Ran, his expression vague and impassive. "Oh?" he prompted with mock interest.

"Your ostentatious methods are far from the most efficient or obscure of actions to accomplish your work," Conan began. "Furthermore, you deem the protection of human lives as a chief priority. Each time you steal a priceless gem, you return it within a month's time. When you wrote those markings on the clock tower, you risked your freedom to save the historic building from being torn down and to implicate the criminal owner."

Nakamori raised his eyebrows in amusement.

"Each of these factors," Conan continued, "portrays you as a well-adjusted individual who would not steal for any sort of personal gain, and who would instead use his position to benefit the community and justice system. But why then, would you steal at all? Your flashy dress and tendency to put on a show, coupled with your absurd theft of only specific large gems, indicates that there is one specific gem for which you are searching, and that you would like to draw out another party in the process."

"You appear hesitant about my involvement tonight," Conan continued, "which could not be caused from fear of the challenge, for you typically welcome such a thing quite openly. I would surmise, then, that you have received confirmation that tonight's gem is the one for which you are searching, and furthermore, that the party you intend to draw out will indeed be making an appearance. This would, of course, create an urgency to succeed tonight in particular, and to go to greater lengths than usual to protect the innocent bystanders from the potentially dangerous other party." Conan paused, reflecting on his own deduction. "So your success in obtaining the Vinyl Crystal tonight is crucial," he finally concluded, "unlike your past targets."

Nakamori clapped his hands unenthusiastically. "Bravo, meitantei," he offered sarcastically. "You've deduced that Kid wants to steal the Vinyl Crystal tonight. I'm not sure ojiisan or the police would be very interested in these deductions, but you're welcome to let them in on that information."

"I'm not sure what you intend to do with the gem," Conan interjected, undeterred by the thief's continued guardedness, "but there are forces at work tonight beyond your comprehension. I will do my best to secure your safety, but given the involvement of our other players, I cannot promise anything. And while I would love to work towards arresting you tonight, that is far from my top priority, and I'm sure you would prefer not to be bothered by me tonight either. If you can convince me of the importance of your success tonight, I may be inclined to assist you, or at least not report you to Suzuki-ojiisan."

Nakamori paused for a moment, continuing to fix the young boy with his stoic expression. Beneath his unchanging face, his mind teemed with apprehension, puzzlement, and endless considerations.

"So…" Conan smiled to himself, aware of his effect on the thief. "How important is it that you obtain this gem?"

* * *

"Please excuse us!" Yoshida Ayumi called out, leading her friends Tsuburaya Mitsuhiko and Kojima Genta through the thick crowd. She turned sideways to make sure the two were still behind her. "Genta-kun, hurry up!"

"I'm trying!" Genta replied in frustration, squeezing himself through the narrow space between a young couple. "But there are so many people! The bigger you are, the harder it is to move…"

"Ah! Mitsuhiko-kun, do you still have it?" Ayumi asked worriedly.

Mitsuhiko nodded, making his way toward Ayumi. "Right here," he assured her, holding a small brown paper bag out toward her.

Ayumi breathed a sigh of relief. "Thank goodness," she said slowly, taking the bag in her hands. "We wouldn't want Conan-kun to have an attack while he is up there."

"Still," Genta reflected thoughtfully, "I never knew Conan had that sort of problem..."

"That's true," Mitsuhiko agreed. "But I read in a scientific journal that it's common for children in smoking households to suffer from it."

"Ah!" Genta exclaimed, "And that ojisan he lives with is a heavy smoker!"

Mitsuhiko nodded.

"Poor Conan-kun," Ayumi lamented softly, glancing at the paper bag. "I hope he gets better…"

"There he is!" Genta suddenly shouted. "Standing next to Ran-neechan!" He paused. "Ah, but he's on the other side of the fence…"

"Maybe if we get his attention," Mitsuhiko suggested hopefully, "he can come get it from us."

Ayumi and Genta nodded in agreement.

"Conan-kun!" Ayumi and Mitsuhiko called out simultaneously.

"Conan!" Genta yelled shortly after. His louder voice succeeded in alerting Conan, who turned in their direction.

"Ai-chan told us about your asthma!" Ayumi called out. Conan cocked his head to the side in confusion. "So she sent us to give you your inhaler!" Ayumi continued, holding the paper bag above her head.

Conan excused himself from his conversation with Inspector Nakamori and made his way closer to the chain-linked fence behind which the three child members of the Shounen Tantei-dan stood.

"Alright," Conan sighed, "what is it you guys are talking about?"

"You left your inhaler at Agasa-hakase's house," Mitsuhiko explained, "so Haibara-san sent us to return it to you before you have an attack." Mitsuhiko smiled fondly. "She's very caring like that, isn't she?"

Conan raised an eyebrow sarcastically. "Ah, well, not the first way I'd describe her," he laughed.

Ayumi glanced at the top of the fence, several feet above her head. "Conan-kun, how should we get this to you?" she asked, once again holding out the bag.

Conan eyed the bag suspiciously. He didn't have asthma. He didn't have an inhaler. "You say Haibara sent you to give this to me?" he asked.

Ayumi nodded.

_So she knew I would come here after all_, Conan reflected with amusement. _Am I really that predictable?_ _Hold on._ Conan frowned. Then what was the point of Haibara warning him against coming? If she had known he would come, regardless of her warning. No. _Because _of her warning. Haibara knew that her phone call would ensure that he attend the heist. Had she told him that the organization was involved, specifically to send him here? But why? What reason could she have? And perhaps the Black Organization wasn't even involved at all…

Conan glared icily toward Nakamori. Thinking the organization was involved, he had begrudgingly started negotiations with that clown… If this was merely a routine heist, then he had no reason to continue conspiring with the thief. Still… Conan turned back to the children in front of him, lost in his thoughts. What Kid had said had indeed piqued his interest… There truly was something significant about this heist. Perhaps it didn't involve the organization, but that had never quelled his enthusiasm before.

He had solved hundreds of cases, without any of them pertaining to the organization, so what was one more? Hundreds of cases… Without making any progress. Without getting anywhere. No closer to returning to his life as Kudo Shinichi… And Ran…

Who was he kidding? Maybe Kudo Shinichi was lost forever. He had been all but forgotten by the world. The police no longer called on him to solve their cases; now it was Mouri Kogoro. His friends from school had not bothered to contact him… Well, most people thought he was dead after all…

Except… Ran… But what could he do for her? She knew who he was, but what could he do, as Edogawa Conan? Ran had told Conan, the first night they met, that she liked Shinichi. She liked Shinichi. Those words would have meant everything to him a year ago. But… He couldn't be Shinichi. He wasn't Shinichi. He was Conan-kun, chibi-chan, the brat in glasses, the little rascal who tagged along with Ran-neechan. Never truly with her. Just following her, watching, wishing…

"Conan-kun?" Ayumi repeated.

Conan forced his thoughts back to the matter at hand. Kid, the heist, the shounen tantei-dan, with… a paper bag from Haibara… Conan studied the bag intently. "Can you pass the contents through the links of the fence?" he finally asked.

Ayumi looked into the bag. "Hmmm…" she mused slowly, considering the size of the object and the links in the fence. Finally, she reached into the bag and pulled out an inhaler. She brought her hand toward the fence and slowly wedged the inhaler through the link. Conan caught the inhaler as it came out on his side.

"Alright!" Genta exclaimed. "Another life-saving mission accomplished by the shounen tantei-dan!"

"Yeah!" the three children exclaimed, raising their hands into the air with their usual childish exuberance.

"Oh, and Haibara-san wanted us to tell you," Mitsuhiko began, "that the antidote in this inhaler is longer-lasting than your previous antidotes."

Conan froze, his eyes widening upon realizing the gift he had received.

"What did she say again?" Genta wondered aloud. "It was a lot of weird science talk…"

"Let's see," Mitsuhiko mused, placing his index finger on his chin. "She said something about creating a blockage across the protein channels, to create a steady, long-lasting diffusion of the chemicals into the cells instead of an instant, short-term burst…"

"Heh?" Genta exclaimed. "How did you remember all that?"

Mitsuhiko smiled sheepishly, placing his hand on the back of his head. "Well, it sounded interesting, so I wrote it down…"

Conan continued to study the inhaler in the palm of his hand. A longer-lasting antidote? She never gave him antidotes without a reason. And she had told him the organization was involved tonight, to ensure that he would be here. She wanted him here, and had provided him with an antidote… What exactly was it for?

And would he use the antidote? With – with Ran here. He could tell her, with his real voice… But could he really justify using the antidote simply to speak to Ran? No. He would only use it if it was necessary for the case. Still… Haibara had provided it. She knew he would always use the antidote when it was provided, even if he wasn't meant to. In London, he had taken the antidote for the return flight, but Haibara, knowing he would do such a thing, had sent more with his parents.

So surely, she must have intended for him to use this antidote! No. He had no proof of that. He was just trying to make excuses to justify taking it. A longer-lasting antidote… He wondered how long it would last… No! _Stop thinking about it, _he commanded himself. _Have you no self control?_ Conan stowed the inhaler in his pocket and pushed his thoughts of it from his mind. Still, he found himself continually patting the pocket, ensuring that the precious contents were still there…

"Well, good luck fighting Kid tonight!" Ayumi said excitedly.

"Yeah," Genta agreed, shaking his fist. "Catch that stupid thief for us!"

Conan nodded. "Well," he began, quickly reforming his plans in his head, "I'll see you guys later." Without another word, Conan turned and raced back toward Ran and Nakamori, who were now speaking with Jirokichi under the tent covering Kita's "base of operations".

* * *

"So you, Mouri-san, and the kid want to investigate the building's defenses before Kid's arrival, to make sure they're adequate?" Jirokichi inquired with confusion. "What happened to not wanting the kid involved?"

"Well, I'd still prefer to keep the kid out here," Nakamori admitted ruefully, "but he is quite persistent…"

Jirokichi smiled and clapped Nakamori on the back. "Well, glad we could convince you! We'll walk you through everything, but we can't let anyone onto the roof except for Conan-kun. You know, since Kid has already proved he can disguise as the young Mouri-san and you, inspector. Basic precautions."

"Oh, of course," Nakamori agreed.

"How will that be enforced?" Conan asked, suddenly appearing beside the adults once more, his hand on the inhaler stowed in his pocket.

Jirokichi considered the question for a moment. "Ah, well…" He turned toward Kita. "Well, we have control over each door, elevator, and lock in that building," he finally said. "So we'll only open the door for you."

"I understand that," Conan offered dismissively, "but if Nakamori-keibu and Ran-neechan are accompanying me, they can easily move through the door with me, right?"

"Oh, um…" Kita turned her chair toward the group. "I'm glad you mentioned that," she remarked quietly. "The building's donor specifically requested we not erect any visual or auditory cameras, but since we're dealing with the Kaitou Kid, we obviously needed something to alert us to the movement within the building, so…" Kita paused as she tapped her fingers quickly across the keyboard. "It's isn't technically visual," Kita conceded nervously as a three-dimensional schematic of the building, shaded in a variety of dull colors, appeared on the screen. "Since IR wavelengths aren't part of the visible spectrum of electromagnetic radiation…"

Conan smiled knowingly. "So you've erected infrared sensors, to react to heat readings," he suggested.

Kita nodded. "They're very crude though," she stipulated, "so as not to disturb our donor's wishes. If you take a look…" Kita paused again, punching commands into her device. An infrared image of the area in which they stood appeared onscreen. Five bright objects stood in the area, but their shapes and sizes were indistinguishable.

"We can sense where a person is at any given time," Kita explained, "but we can't really differentiate between them." She frowned. "Some of these regulations we need to follow are a bit restrictive," Kita admitted, "but we won't necessarily need to distinguish anyone in order to trap Kid. We will have control over the doors, and we will know where each person is. Then we need only to trap each and every person within the building, and Kid will be trapped among them."

Nakamori cleared his throat. "How- umm…" He cleared his throat again. "How many people are we planning to allow into the building? Surely it would be unethical to trap all of them…"

Jirokichi nodded. "We're keeping the numbers minimal," he assured the inspector. "No offense, but your police are generally more useful to Kid, who can disguise as them, so they will not be included. Conan-kun shall be in attendance though, and my niece has somehow convinced me she needs to be there as well…"

Conan rolled his eyes. Sonoko and her infatuations… What would her boyfriend think?

"Anyway," Jirokichi offered quickly, "we should get Conan-kun acquainted with the building before Kid arrives to steal the gem at 10:00PM." Jirokichi turned to Ran. "Are you going to go in with Conan-kun and the inspector?"

Ran met Conan's eyes expectantly.

Conan considered the situation cautiously. It was all unsettling. The donor, with an absurd building at which Sherry may or may not have worked. Either way, Haibara wanted him here. And the visual and auditory restrictions indicated that the donor did not want certain people within the building to be identifiable… And the heightened security – steel doors, opened with codes, now apparently controlled from a central location… The centralized control seemed at first glance to be a good idea, but what if the control was intercepted by an outside source? If Jirokichi and Kita lost control to someone else, then that person could also trap each person within…

"Ran," Conan said quietly, meeting her gaze, "The inspector and I will go inside. But… would you wait out here? We're only going in for a preliminary inspection, and I'll come get you as soon as I'm done, so…"

"What do you need me to do out here?" Ran asked.

"Ah, well…" Conan struggled to come up with a real reason. "Just… wait…"

Ran sighed. "That's… That's what you keep telling me," she said slowly. "Just… wait." She lingered over the words for a moment before continuing. "I don't understand why. I'm just supposed to do it… Just keep waiting. Like I've been doing for months. When you've told me nothing – not even today."

Conan despondently turned his gaze to the ground. "Well," he began quietly, "it's just… I can't be sure of how dangerous it will be…"

"Then…" Ran paused, choosing her words. "Then let me help you." Conan opened his mouth to protest, but Ran continued. "_I'm_ not the child here – I can take care of myself."

Jirokichi, Kita, and Nakamori watched the exchange in confusion. Nakamori waved at Jirokichi dismissively, communicating that he would settle the matter. Nakamori sidled over to the pair. "Oi," he cut in bluntly, "what's the problem here?"

"Shinichi doesn't want me to go," Ran answered quickly. "He thinks it's too dangerous." Suddenly, she stopped, realizing what she had just said.

"Shinichi?" Nakamori repeated with surprise. "As in Kudo Shinichi?"

Conan and Ran exchanged nervous glances.

The disguised thief appeared enthusiastic. "Does he know about all of this too?" he asked.

"Um… Yes…" Conan answered slowly, deciding on the best way to escape the situation.

"No offense to you two," Nakamori remarked, "but I would feel much more comfortable with his assistance." Nakamori glanced around and invited Conan and Ran to follow him as he slowly backed out of Jirokichi and Kita's earshot. "I've only tangled with Kudo-kun once before," he whispered, "but that was the closest I've ever come to being caught. He was as intense and ruthless as you, tantei-kun, but he was also physically adept, since he's much more mature. Had I committed an actual heist that night, he would have captured me for sure." Nakamori paused. "I would be much more amenable," he concluded, nodding in Conan's direction, "to him going in your place."

Conan bit his lip, wondering how to respond. He did have the antidote…

"Ah, Shinichi's in the hospital," Ran objected hurriedly. "He's… He's had some health problems recently, and I don't know if he'll get better…" Ran glanced sideways at Conan. "But I'll always be here for him."

Nakamori nodded slowly. "So that's where he's been, huh?" he mused. "I'm sorry to hear it…" The disguised thief paused a moment, considering the situation. "Hey wait a minute!" he suddenly exclaimed. He turned to Ran. "How can Shinichi have a problem with you going, but he's fine with sending a mere child in?"

Ran looked at Conan uneasily.

"Let me talk to this guy," Nakamori commanded. "I'd like to give him a piece of my mind."

Ran glanced from Nakamori and back to Conan. "Ah, um… well…"

"Of course!" Conan agreed childishly.

Ran and Nakamori turned to shoot him puzzled looks. Conan reached into his pocket and pulled out a small round speaker, from which he had often projected his bow-tie-altered voice. He smiled and handed the speaker to Nakamori, who stared at it in confusion.

"Shinichi-niichan talks to us with this communication device," Conan explained. "Just speak into it, and he'll respond."

Nakamori eyed the speaker dubiously. "This just looks like a speaker…" he countered, continuing to examine the small piece of hardware. "It doesn't seem to be equipped with any sort of transmission device."

"Well, your expertise is thievery, right?" Shinichi's voice prompted from the speaker.

Ran's eyes shot toward Conan, who had turned away from Kid and was speaking into his bow tie.

"So maybe you should reserve your judgments for explorations in that field," Shinichi's voice continued.

"Ah," Nakamori sighed, speaking with his own voice as Kaitou Kid, "it's a pleasure to finally speak with you, Kudo-kun, despite your rudeness. Am I to understand you've been listening this entire time?"

"Naturally," Shinichi agreed. "How else do you think that brat is able to catch you each time? I guide him throughout each heist."

Nakamori raised an eyebrow disbelievingly. "Really…" He cast a cursory glance around and then seated himself on the ground in a cross-legged position.

"Did you have anything to say to me?" Shinichi asked haughtily, brushing off the thief's mistrust.

"Yes," Nakamori agreed. "If you truly expect me to believe that Conan-kun is not the master behind his deductions, then how can you possibly even contemplate putting a child in such a situation? It is admirable that you continue to help the police while you are in the hospital, but surely you could send someone older in your place? The world of crime is no place for a mere child. I'm appalled that you would even consider such a thing…"

"Ah, well…" Shinichi paused for a moment. "Alright, Conan-kun is indeed wise beyond his years. I think you would agree that he is better prepared for the crime scenes than most of the police force."

"But of course," Kid assented. "If you want me to continue to work with Conan-kun this evening, I would prefer that you don't attempt to produce further fabrications. Now listen, Kudo-kun; Conan-kun is still a child. Therefore, he will wait outside, and Mouri-san and I will go in to investigate. Mouri-san, assisted by your communication, will be much more useful than Conan-kun." Kid turned quickly toward Conan, smiling sheepishly. "No offense, tantei-kun."

Conan lowered his bow tie from his mouth and turned sideways. "None taken, Kid-san," he replied with a transparent smile before turning once more from the thief.

"I promise you," Shinichi persisted, "he'll be fine. You have nothing to worry about."

Kid sighed. "Listen, Kudo-kun. I appreciate that Conan-kun has offered to help tonight. But I'm sure you are aware of my principles. I will not endanger anyone needlessly, much less a child. You don't want your friend Mouri-san to go because of the danger, but you need to think about Conan-kun as well. With you on the communicator, we will have a detective with us, so we don't need Conan-kun. Understand?"

There was a pause. Ran watched Conan silently. She regretted complicating the situation, but it had somewhat worked in her favor, forcing Conan to consider the reality of the situation. He always wanted to do everything, help everyone, fix everything. Do the impossible, consider the unimagined, and solve the inconclusive. And she loved him for it. But… he was only human. He was fallible. He had weaknesses. If he failed to consider his limitations, he was sure to hurt himself, or – Ran studied Conan – or create more complications than he already had…

"A-Alright. I understand…" Shinichi finally conceded. He paused again before continuing. "Send Conan-kun home. I'll join you and Ran."

Ran took a step back, regarding Conan with a confused expression. Wh-What? What could he mean by that?

"Heh? Are you crazy?" Kid exclaimed with surprise. "You're in the hospital, and from what I hear, you are not in good health. I don't think you're in any shape to be trying something like this. You-"

Suddenly, Conan retrieved the speaker from the thief's hands and placed it back into his pocket. "It's alright," Conan assured him. "Shinichi-niichan will be fine. He wants to help you, and…" Conan glanced toward Ran. "And… Ran-neechan."

* * *

Pu7o, I'm sorry if the last chapter seemed too straightforward. It seemed to me like most people assume Subaru is evil, so I wanted to introduce the possibility that he isn't evil before proceeding. In subsequent chapters though, I intend to flirt with both possibilities, so I hope that turns out well. And wow! Great insight on the Akai/red/red guy thing. I read that chapter in the original Japanese, and I feel stupid that I didn't notice. But feeling stupid is a good thing. There's still plenty out there for me to learn! XD Thanks for sharing! Your reviews always provide amazing input.

Chelseaj500, I know – poor Jodie. And she's about to get a lot more confused… I love Jodie so much, so why do I torture her like this? Haha, I don't know…

Gamer AlchemistZ, Awww, so nice to hear you think so! All the input and support from the reviews really helps me with writing!

LEP-Surface Division, Yeah, all excellent points, but no need to add to the list. I'm a complete nerd, so I have a word document saved on my computer systematically listing all the evidence. :)

Klette290595, Yes, Kid is quite awesome. I hope my characterization can do him justice!

psykostevey999, Thank you so much! I really appreciate the compliments. Feel free to speak up if you don't like anything, but for now, I hope you enjoy this next chapter! Welcome to the story!

AngelOfTheHealingLight, Heehee, I just bought myself a Conan plushie for the holidays. Yes, I buy myself presents. X) But yeah, I hope you don't feel too lost as the story continues. If it starts getting too hard to follow, feel free to put my fic aside for later. I won't be hurt. You can always pick it back up after getting a bit further in the series. :)


	12. Pandora's Building: Countless Kaitous

I feel like the past few chapters have been a bit slow, so I hope this chapter is a bit better! Thank you everyone for reading! You are all really wonderful. I've been getting a few questions about whether or not Kid knows Conan is Shinichi, so I think I should clear that up. In my story, Kid does not know. He may or may not know in the series, depending on how you look at it, and you can all choose what you want to believe, but Kid does not know about Conan and Shinichi in my story. Thank you!

* * *

Kudo Shinichi leaned against the wall, panting heavily. _Are you serious?_ he thought to himself. He had only just gotten into his clothes. How could he be changing back so soon?

Suddenly, his heart lurched in his chest with a dull thud. Shinichi fell forward onto his hands and knees. He continued to breathe heavily, crouched over the floor. _Longer lasting antidote… Give me a break!_ It had been all but five minutes! Something had to be wrong.

Or maybe this was the result of taking so many antidotes. It was as Haibara had told him, when she had passed him the antidote in the bathroom.

_Taking the same drug frequently makes it lose its effectiveness. Your body is building up a resistance to that drug. As you continue to take it, its active duration gets shorter._

Haibara's soft, haunting voice echoed in his mind. This antidote had been fashioned to last longer than the ones he had previously taken, but if it could only last this long… Would a cure really work, at this point? If he ever found a cure, would it even affect him, after the immunity he had built up to the antidote?

Shinichi felt his body seize once more with a dull thud from his heart. He clenched his fists tightly and bit down upon his tongue, striving to silence the screams of agony welling up within his throat.

It all seemed so trivial now. Taking the antidote again and again, and for what purpose? What had he accomplished, that he could not have done as Conan? Nothing. And yet he had taken it eagerly almost every time, never thinking twice. He had even been so bold as to ask Haibara for an entire bottle of them.

But what good would a bottle of temporary antidote do? It was only temporary in the end. A temporary drug, the effects of which he madly pursued like an addict. And like an addict, it was never enough. And each fleeting pleasure came only with pain… This feeling, like he was burning, on fire, like he couldn't get enough air, like his heart was exploding, like his insides were corroding… Shinichi bit his tongue harder, wincing in anguish. He was both burning and drowning at once. He couldn't move. He felt like he was melting.

Shinichi leaned against the wall and slowly drew his legs to his chest, sweating from the effort. He wrapped his arms around his legs and squeezed them tightly as the burning crept into every corner of his body. The fire spread to his legs, and his fingers, and… No. Just pain. Unimaginable pain! Nothing… nothing could ever compare to this! Shinichi's tongue broke free from under his clenched teeth, and he let out a terrifying, tortured scream.

So why did he always take the antidote so willingly?

Panting slowly, Conan steadily loosened the grip on his legs. The sweat on his skin evaporated instantly into a cloud of steam. He gazed down at his oversized clothing and sighed.

(Picture of this scene at h t t p : / / j e b b i f u r z z . d e v i a n t a r t . c o m / # / d 3 9 c k q m)

It wasn't really about solving the cases, was it? He had that stupid bow-tie and the shoes, so a child could certainly accomplish it. Why did he always take the antidote so willingly? It was no secret, but he struggled to admit the answer. He had always prided himself on acting logically, but there was no logic behind this.

Conan stood up and pulled his small clothes from his bag. He set them down on the toilet seat and began undressing once more.

He just… He wanted Ran to love him. But more than that. To see him, and to want him. To be close to him, to touch him… Conan lingered over the button he was unfastening. At the thought of Ran, a different warmth began to fill his body. He shook his head and continued unbuttoning his shirt. As he was now, he was nothing more than a child. He had struggled so hard, throughout his life, to become someone worthy of Ran's love – no – just to get her attention…

Before his trip with Ran to New York, it seemed like she had never even noticed him. They had been close friends since their first year of school, but she had never looked at him… that way… But he had noticed a change in their relationship sometime after New York. Several things had occurred by that point; he had finally matured physically, he had started solving mysteries with great success, and he had begun to receive fan letters from women, meaning he had suddenly become popular… Whether it was due to only one factor, all of them, or none of them, that was when he had begun to feel closer to Ran.

Because she had never looked at him that way, or at least never seemed to look at him that way, when he was a child. No matter how hard he had tried. All those silly poems he had written, the stupid schemes he had concocted to impress her… It never worked, none of it. He was the snot-nosed brat, Kudo Shinichi; the bookworm, the loser, the shortest and smallest kid in the class. Conan stepped easily out of his now baggy jeans. What chance did he have with the beautiful, the kind, the strong Mouri-san?

As he had gotten older, everything had seemed to click into place. He and Ran… it had begun to seem feasible. Because the high school detective Kudo Shinichi was powerful, important, confident, popular – everything he hadn't been before, and hadn't been since… Everything that had drawn Ran to him, everything that had helped him to finally win her attention, was gone.

And now that she had discovered his identity – how had she, before he had said anything? – Could he really continue to appear before her? As Conan-kun? In this pitiful form, that she had never embraced. And with Ran as she was now, the beautiful young woman she had become – he truly wasn't good enough.

Conan slipped his kick-enhancing shoes onto his feet. He closed his bag and pulled it over his shoulders. He reached toward the lock on the stall door, but paused with his hand on it.

What was he doing now? Helping a thief to destroy a gem that, as he understood it, was supposed to hold some sort of power. Did he even believe that? What was this? In the grand scheme of things, how did this matter? After everything… What did he truly believe in? Conan closed his eyes. What… In the end, what did he want?

Someone suddenly entered the bathroom. A distinctive pair of red heels clicked across the floor and paused outside Conan's stall. After a moment, they turned and paced toward the next stall. Again, they paused. Then they turned once more and strode briskly to the end of the bathroom and entered the handicapped stall at the end.

Conan pushed the stall door open and left the bathroom hurriedly. _Stop being so negative!_ he scolded himself. The antidote was a bit of a letdown, but it hardly mattered. He knew exactly which devices to employ tonight. And Kid's words appeared to be true, for the most part. After all, the thief still had no way of escaping. He was sacrificing his freedom for these ends, so it was difficult to doubt his sincerity in that light.

Conan rounded the corner and passed once more through the security gate. Still, there was a great deal that Kid had not said. Where had he received the confirmation, that the jewel atop the building was the one for which he was searching? He had not yet seen the jewel himself, so perhaps Kid's associate was among the security present tonight?

And Kid had remembered Kudo Shinichi so readily… But how had he known Shinichi had been involved that night? They had seen each other briefly, when Shinichi had shot the screen off of the clock tower, but that had not been enough for the thief to be sure of his identity. How could he have known? And why did it seem like he had been expecting Shinichi to appear tonight?

* * *

"Oh yeah, the dead body in the clearing behind the Mystery Coaster, right?"

Officer Hashimoto nodded.

"Sure, we remember that pretty well," the theme park's doctor agreed. He turned to his nurse. "That was around the time we had just started working here, nine months ago, and you can imagine the scare it gave us! A man had died on the roller coaster just that afternoon, and then suddenly the police reported another dead body nearby!"

The nurse nodded. "But then he wasn't really dead, which was a relief of course, and they brought him here for us to fix up."

"That _is_ a relief," Hashimoto admitted with a smile. "What was wrong with him?"

"He had suffered from blunt trauma to the head," the doctor explained. "It was pretty bad, too. But we cleaned the wound, and bandaged him up. He didn't seem to be suffering any sort of concussion, so we gave him back to the police, and they were about to take him to a crèche."

Hashimoto frowned in confusion. "A crèche?" he echoed incredulously. "Did they really think that was the most fitting place to bring the victim?"

"I'm sure they only intended it to be temporary," the doctor said quickly. "You know, until they could identify his parents and return him to his home." The doctor scratched his chin sheepishly. "But they didn't get that far. Isn't that right, Harada-san?"

The nurse stifled a giggle as she continued rifling through the filing drawer. "Very true," she agreed. "That's why we remember this patient so well, even after nine months. Ah!" Her face lit up. "Here it is," she said, pulling a file from the drawer and walking back toward the two men.

Hashimoto studied the knowing smiles exchanged between the nurse and doctor. "I'm guessing there's a story here," he prompted with a grin.

"Okay, well it's not the best thing to laugh about," the doctor conceded. "Tragic, really. But –" He struggled to stifle his laughter. "It was kind of hilarious…"

The nurse stepped forward as her doctor struggled to regain his professional composure. "When the police started talking about taking him to a crèche," she began, "he… he…" The nurse bent over, laughing quietly to herself.

"He jumped out the window!" the doctor finished, before falling once more into fits of laughter. He and his nurse giggled together for another minute before finishing.

The doctor straightened up and wiped a tear from his eye. "Sorry about that," he apologized. "It was a comical sight, with the police and the dogs running after him…"

The nurse nodded and held the file out to Hashimoto. "This is his file," she added, "but he somehow pulled away from the police, so that's the last we saw of him…"

"That's fine," Hashimoto offered goodnaturedly, taking the file. "I would apologize for the incompetency of my peers, but I see it's given you two something to smile about." He glanced down at the file and began to skim the contents.

_Same date as the reported death of Kudo Shinichi. Blunt trauma to the back of the head, just as Gin had described. And it sounded like he had been found in the same place Gin claimed to have left the victim. So the high school detective might not be dead after all… _Hashimoto frowned. "Wait…" He pointed to a section of the report. "Victim assumed to be five to seven years of age?"

"Oh, well we didn't know his real age," the doctor admitted.

"No, but…" Hashimoto continued to study the report. _It was the same location, the same wound, the same date, but not the same victim…? _"Not a high school junior?" he posited aloud.

"Ha, goodness no," the doctor scoffed. "Although he would have had us believe differently."

Hashimoto raised his eyebrows. "What do you mean?"

"He was so cute," the nurse recalled. "He was wearing oversized clothes and kept insisting he was a junior in high school."

"But he was disoriented," the doctor cut in, "and he was spouting off all sorts of silly stories, about gun smugglers, blackmail, and a man whacking him on the back of the head for witnessing the whole thing – he had quite an active imagination."

"Definitely," the nurse agreed.

"It would take a pretty wild imagination to believe a story like that" Hashimoto admitted with a chuckle. He glanced back down at the file, continuing to study the report. "A wild, wild imagination…"

* * *

"Hey, you can't be serious!" Kid yelled after Conan as the child strode casually from the building. "You- you probably just don't know what you are talking about!"

Conan shrugged. "I may not have as much of an eye for gems as you," he consented, "but the Vinyl Crystal is as unimpressive as its name – just an inexpensive bit of rock with no real worth." Conan turned and continued to make his way toward the base of operations, making a mental note of every inch of the building that he had just surveyed. "The stupid rock collection that I threw away nine years ago probably cost more than that thing," he remarked curtly.

"The name of that gem…" Ran mused to herself.

"But this doesn't make any sense," Kid continued, seemingly frustrated. "I thought that it was certainly– " He suddenly stopped, catching himself.

"On what authority?" Conan asked slyly. Kid stopped walking. "On what authority had you been convinced that the Vinyl Crystal was the gem you sought?" Kid's silence continued, and Conan turned once more to face him. "And you had seemed so surprised," he persisted, "when Shinichi did not show up; why had you been expecting him?"

"Well, he had said he was coming…" Kid attempted after a pause. "Hold on." He met Conan's gaze. "Nine years ago?"

"Eh?"

"You said nine years ago," Kid repeated. "Had you even been born by then?"

"Ah, slip of the tongue," Conan explained hurriedly, his sly grin fading into a childish smile.

"Since you're so keen on knowing where my knowledge comes from," Kid replied testily, "let's start with you! You look about six, right? So how do you know all of this? Wherever I've gathered my knowledge from, certainly nothing here can be weirder than you!"

"Hey, that name – " Ran began.

"Careful, _Nakamori-keibu_," Conan offered coldly. "Your voice sounds so similar to Kaitou Kid – if you yell too much, our comrades nearby may begin to take notice."

"Oh dear," Kid lamented quietly. "Changing the subject now, are we? Perhaps it's too much for you, being on the receiving end of the interrogation for once?"

"Oh, but I changed the subject for you," Conan said with mock courtesy. "Because I know your pride couldn't bear to face the fact that you've been outwitted again and again by a mere child. But maybe it's time for you to realize that you're just not all that bright."

"Hey-" Ran attempted once more.

"Outwitted again and again," Kid laughed. "That's quite a delusion, especially considering that my goals were consistently achieved, and you merely informed me each time that you were aware of my plans."

"Of course," Conan agreed. "Because failing to steal the gems that you had so arrogantly promised to take was exactly as you had planned, right?"

"For goodness' sake!" Ran suddenly shouted, drowning out Kid's retort, "You're both INSUFFERABLE!" The two boys ceased their argument and turned fearfully toward Ran.

"It seems that none of us know much at all," she continued, "but we won't get anywhere with you two and your ridiculously swollen egos! Forget about feeding your insatiable pride, and let's get on with the evening"

Conan and Kid stared at Ran, wide-eyed and completely speechless.

"You." Ran pointed at Kid. "Someone told you that your gem was here, and that Shinichi would be here tonight, but they've been wrong on both counts. If that person was also the one who convinced you that you would be meeting that organization here tonight, then I suggest you call them immediately to revisit their predictions. I don't care what your source of information is, but it hasn't proved to be reliable, so I'm not going to stand here waiting for criminals that won't show up and for a gem that doesn't exist."

Kid nodded slowly, quickly fumbling for his cell phone. Ran turned to Conan. "And you were also worried about something tonight," she continued. "If there's anything we should know, then you'd better tell us now before we all endanger ourselves doing something stupid. If you have some big secret to reveal, then tell us before we do something we'll regret."

Conan frowned.

"Hey Akako," Kid said into his phone, "I think you're losing your touch. Your predictions all suck."

"Are you calling me just to insult me?" Akako asked icily.

"Yeah, I kind of am," Kid agreed. "You got me so worked up with everything you said, about the Pandora gem, Kudo Shinichi, and the organization."

"My predictions are one hundred percent," Akako insisted. "Believe them or don't believe them; it doesn't matter to me."

"Then…" Kid paused. "Then why did you call me in the first place?"

Akako was silent for a moment. "Well," she finally replied, "even I get bored sometimes. I- I just thought it would be good to let you know…"

Kid sighed. "You're a good person, Akako."

"W-what?"

"You're certifiably insane," Kid confessed, "but you really are… good…" He cleared his throat. "Anyway, I'm gonna go…"

"Wait," Akako appealed. "Don't forget: Pandora waits atop the building. You will struggle with the murderer of your father and his associates, who will be aided by the man with the pressure of the devil, the man whom you faced once before, Kudo Shinichi."

"Sounds like a lovely evening," Kid concluded sarcastically, closing his phone.

Jirokichi rushed toward the group. "Alright, Kid will be here any minute," he informed them. "Let's see… You've inspected the building… So yeah. Enter at your leisure sometime soon, because the building will lock down once Kid enters."

Conan and Ran glanced quickly at Kid, disguised as Nakamori. They smiled and the two began running toward the building entrance.

Nakamori and Jirokichi rushed back toward the base of operations. Kita sat perched behind her computer, watching her precious security system at work.

Jirokichi glanced at his watch. "Kita, start the live feed now," he commanded.

Kita nodded excitedly and pressed a button on her keyboard, causing a projector attached to her computer to roar into life. A large screen slowly began to descend from the top of the building until it covered a large portion of the building's side. The projector's image, now clearly shining onto the screen, showed the live video feed of the Vinyl Crystal. Although a dull green, a faint red light shone from the gem's center. The assembled crowd roared with approval at the sight.

"Well, I'm off," Nakamori announced.

Jirokichi frowned. "What are you talking about?" he asked. "Kid hasn't even shown up yet. You can't call it a night already. You need to be here to see me catch Kid, once and for all!"

Nakamori smiled. "I'd like to see you try," he said smugly, pulling off his disguise and instantly revealing himself as Kaitou Kid.

Jirokichi's face twisted in anger. "K-Kid!" He lunged at the thief, only to be swiftly dodged, causing him to tumble to the ground.

Kid landed gracefully beside Kita. "I'm not sure if it's all these hard drives," Kid began, leaning close to Kita. "Working at… full capacity," he whispered seductively into her ear. Kita shuddered at the feeling of his breath on her skin. "Or perhaps it is just you," Kid suggested, taking Kita's chin in his hand. Kita shied away from his touch, her face a burning red and her hands shaking.

Jirokichi recollected himself, and several police began running toward the thief. Kid eyed them warily, counting in his head the seconds it would take for them to reach him.

"But this area is so unbearably hot," Kid continued lazily, loosening his tie and unbuttoning his shirt. Kita turned away, biting her lip. "If I continue to stay here, I will certainly…" Kid watched the approach of Jirokichi and the police. _3…2…1…_ "Explode!"

As the police and Jirokichi lunged forward, they found themselves watching the bottom of his cape flapping in the wind, suddenly soaring skyward toward the top of the building, followed by a stream of smoke.

"H-how?" Jirokichi shouted angrily, watching the billowing white clothing flapping in the wind high above his head.

"I'll go head him off!" one of the policemen shouted, running through the front entrance of the building.

The Kaitou Kid flying into the sky suddenly exploded into bright green fireworks. The crowd of spectators cheered at the sight.

"That was Kid!" Inspector Nakamori shouted, running out from a nearby building. A woman in red heels slipped quietly out behind him. "He distracted you by putting his cape on some fireworks," the inspector explained, "and then he just ran through the front entrance disguised as a police man! Lock down the building now!" he barked at Kita.

Kita stared ahead dazedly, her hands continuing to tremble.

"Keibu!" another policeman shouted.

Nakamori turned toward the building. A white-clad figure with a hanglider was descending upon the top of the building.

"It must be Kid's associate!" Nakamori reasoned. "He's on the top of the building!"

"Then who's that?" Jirokichi asked. Another white-clad figure was climbing the projector screen.

"We-we can't lock down the building yet," Kita announced shakily. "Any one of them could be Kid, and we need him to be inside so we can trap him…"

"Any…one…?" Nakamori turned to face Kita's computer screen displaying the infrared scan of the building. Easily over thirty bodies were present in or on the building. He turned back to the building, being bombarded by countless white-clad figures. Over thirty bodies, and they were all dressed… as Kid!

* * *

Chelseaj500, While I enjoy all of the movies, I don't accept them as canon. So Kid does not know about Conan's identity. =)

Gamer AlchemistZ, Haha, you'll see, you'll see…

just another pickel, Welcome to the story! I'm so glad you're liking it so far!

Pu7o, Yeah, I remember that case. I reread it after you mentioned it. It turns out that Conan was the one who told Kid that his mom was an actress; Kid did not know. I personally don't think Kid could know Conan's true identity. The idea of someone shrinking is too crazy, and Kid doesn't have any evidence with which to come to that conclusion anyway – all he knows is that Conan is definitely not a normal kid. Oh, and about what Kid said about Shinichi's physical prowess: Shinichi shot the screen off of the tower from a helicopter. True, he remained in the helicopter. But handling a gun properly does take physical strength and skill. And he fired upon such a precise target from a moving helicopter, no less! I think that marks him as physically adept :) Also, thanks for the pointer on the meitantei/tantei-kun thing! I will definitely scale back/eliminate the use of "tantei-kun" from now on. Thank you so much for your continued guidance!

Roseanni, Haha, I just love disappointing you! Not really though! I'm sorry! You got a little bit of Shinichi though!

Klette290595, Feel free to ask as many questions as you need! At this point, Ran is pretty sure that Conan is Shinichi. But since she hasn't proved it yet, and he hasn't admitted it yet, some doubts still remain. Kid is indeed disguised as Nakamori. He speaks with his real voice in front of Conan and Ran because Conan already revealed his true identity in front of Ran. In my story, Kid does not know that Conan is Shinichi. Hope that clears things up!

AngelOfTheHealingLight, I don't know – I feel like Ran is entitled to be really angry after everything Shinichi has done to her. I think so far she's been way too nice. :)

tonsostuff, Awww, thank you thank you thank you! I will definitely continue writing! I am so glad you enjoyed it so far! Welcome to the story!


	13. Pandora's Building: Dionaea Muscipula

Bleh. I've been super sick this past week, and I've gotten injured on top of that. Oh, if you couldn't tell from the first mystery, I'm an avid runner. For a runner, or pretty much for any athlete, getting injured is the most disappointing thing in the world. Seriously. So I've been stuck in bed, being miserable. So of course… fanfic time! I swear, if I didn't have this fanfic, I'd probably have gone insane long ago… :) But you guys are all awesome, and I cherish the support and kindness you've all given me. I love you all, and I want you to know that!

* * *

"I don't believe this!" Hattori Heiji grumbled, stuffing his hands into his pockets.

"Y'ave no right ta' be angry!" Toyama Kazuha scolded. "We didn't exactly give 'em much warning, did we?"

"Butchya can tell they're in there!" Heiji protested. "The lights are on an' everything!"

"Well they aren't answering the door," Kazuha observed, "so maybe we should give 'em a call…"

"I just called 'im two minutes ago," Heiji shot back, "and Kudo didn' even pick up."

Kazuha stared blankly at Heiji for a moment, and then narrowed her eyes in agitation. "We're not tryin' ta' contact Kudo-kun, boke!" she shouted, slapping Heiji on the shoulder. "We're tryin' ta' see if Ran-chan can put us up for the night!"

"You're the boke!" Heiji replied brusquely, "fer draggin' me along on this stupid trip, and fer tellin' me completely last minute!"

"Well, they didn't send me the date 'til last minute," Kazuha argued. "Besides, yer interested too, aren't you?"

Heiji crossed his arms. "Nope," he replied proudly. "Why would you wanna leave Osaka for some snooty Eastern School anyway?"

"They have prestige," Kazuha reasoned, "and the Kanto is pretty much the center of all industry. And with the capital at Tokyo so close… I'd have so many more career opportunities here, upon graduating…"

"But the Kansai is just as huge," Heiji objected. "An' besides, Osaka was the capital of Japan long before Tokyo."

Kazuha giggled at Heiji's reasoning skills. "Alright," she prompted, "if you aren't interested in lookin' at the universities around here with me, then why did ya' agree ta' come?"

"Because, I've gotta show you why none of them are good fer you," Heiji replied tersely.

Kazuha paused. "What- what do ya' mean?" she asked, a hopeful smile on her face.

Heiji shifted awkwardly. "It's obvious, innit?"

Kazuha shook her head.

"Yer too stupid to make it at any of these Eastern schools," Heiji explained plainly. Kazuha's smile quickly transitioned to a glare. "At least if ya' fail out in the West," Heiji continued, "you'll be closer ta' friends and family."

"Well isn't it nice," Kazuha growled through clenched teeth, raising her fist threateningly, "that yer keepin' my well-being in mind…"

The door suddenly opened, revealing Kisaki Eri, dressed smartly, standing in the doorway. "Ah – sorry we took so long," she apologized. "There were a few… complications…" Eri regarded the two teenagers for a moment. "Ah, you're Ran's friends, right?"

Kazuha nodded. "Good evening, okusan," she offered courteously. "I'm Toyama Kazuha, and this is Hattori Heiji."

"We jus' got off the train all the way from Osaka," Heiji cut in, "We've got appointments all day tomorrow touring universities, but all the hotels we've tried tonight have been completely booked. We're awfully sorry 'bout this, but d'you think you could put us up for the night?"

"Hey, don't be so bold!" Kazuha scolded. "Just flat-out askin' like that…"

"Oi," Heiji retorted, "wouldjya rather sleep in the street?"

Kazuha crossed her arms.

Eri chuckled lightheartedly. "I'd love to help you kids out," she offered sympathetically, "but…" She opened the door wider, revealing a complete disaster within. The floor was flooded with water, dozens of towels and clothes were strewn haphazardly across the floor, and various sections of the walls and furniture were charred, as if they had been licked by flames.

"Y-your house has been ransacked!" Heiji exclaimed, peering through the doorway. "Did ya' get a good look at the culprit? We may still be able to catch 'im!"

Eri chuckled softly. "The only culprit here," she said, "is my husband's cooking."

Heiji and Kazuha stared at Eri in confusion.

"He tried to make dinner," Eri whispered behind her hand, glancing around cautiously to make sure she wasn't overheard by her husband. "But apparently he set fire to everything but the stove." She smiled fondly. "He succeeded in putting the fire out, but I'm afraid this place is now in an awful state…" Eri glanced around the room for a moment. "Ah!" she suddenly exclaimed. "We could set you two up in the agency downstairs, if all you need is a place to sleep…"

"Thank you so much!" Kazuha exclaimed, rendering a polite bow. "Can we help you clean up?"

Eri straightened up. "That's a very kind gesture," she answered graciously, "but you two don't need to work to earn your stay…"

"No, no!" Kazuha interrupted. "We insist, don't we, Heiji?"

"I don't know about that," Heiji grumbled, stifling a yawn. "After that train ride, I jus' wanna crash somewhere, not play housekeeper…"

Kazuha rolled her eyes. "Yer so rude!" she complained, pushing Heiji into the home. "Now go grab a mop!"

* * *

Conan and Ran stepped cautiously into the room, and the door closed swiftly behind them.

"Looks like Kita has started the systematic entrapment," Conan observed.

"Yeah," Ran agreed slowly, glancing around the room.

Conan seated himself behind a desk. "Kita's program will systematically trap each inhabitant by opening a sequence of doors, leading each one to an ideal holding area. We've had ourselves led into this room as planned, so at this point we just have to wait until the next stage."

Ran nodded, taking a seat behind another desk. After a few minutes of silence, Ran turned to Conan. "It- it's certainly been an eventful day, hasn't it?" she commented nervously.

Conan nodded. "Yeah, definitely." He stared intently at the desk in front of him, mindlessly moving his hands in an attempt to occupy himself.

Ran watched Conan silently. "Can I ask you something?" she finally asked.

"S-Sure," Conan replied quietly, continuing to watch the desk.

Ran shifted in her chair. "When you said Shinichi would join us," Ran began, "was that your intention, or…?" Ran paused. "No- I mean, could you actually…um…"

Conan turned to face Ran.

"I- I guess I don't really understand," Ran continued, "but if you could do that, then…"

"It actually was my intention," Conan replied, "but things didn't exactly go as planned... I usually have at least a few hours, if you recall Shinichi's brief appearances every now and then, but today was only a matter of minutes…" Conan turned back to the desk and shook his head. "At any rate, it probably isn't very feasible anymore."

Ran nodded slowly, frowning slightly at the continued dearth of explanation from Conan. Another awkward silence filled the room.

"So- so it's your dad's birthday today," Conan suddenly blurted out, attempting to stimulate a more positive conversation.

"It is his birthday," Ran laughed with amazement. "That's pretty impressive. I doubt my dad even realized what day it was today. He sounded pretty confused as to why my mom was visiting for dinner…" Ran turned to face Conan, smiling fondly. "You sure keep a lot of information in that head of yours, don't you?"

Conan blushed. "Ah, well," he mumbled nervously, "How could I forget? His birthday is only fourteen days after the anniversary of the day we first met… twelve years ago…"

Ran turned to the desk in front of her, red spreading across her face. "You-You still remember that? How embarrassing…"

"Hey, what do you have to be embarrassed about?" Conan mumbled nervously, his eyes cast downward. "I'm the one who was saved by a girl…"

"You make it sound like such a bad thing!" Ran laughed. "It was either that, or get pummeled by those boys."

"I… I could have managed," Conan stammered uncertainly.

Ran giggled. "Sure, sure," she consented playfully, pulling out her phone and glancing casually at the screen. "Ah, Kid should have gotten to the roof by now…"

Conan nodded, pulling Kid's transmission device from his pocket. "Unless he's done something stupid," he remarked wryly.

"Oi, Kid," Conan called into the speaker, holding the button down to transmit his words. "Are you on the roof yet?"

There was a pause, followed by a brief spurt of static. "N-not exactly…" Kid's voice replied.

"You need to hurry up," Conan commanded him. "Remember, we deduced that the doors to the main halls and the roof will remain open until the infrared senses a body, and then they will begin closing in a sequence to drive the body into an optimal holding room. Ran and I have already drawn ourselves into the room from which escape is least possible, so we've successfully minimized your chances of getting trapped in here. All you have to do is continue to conceal yourself with that sheet of glass that we pulled from the window, and make your way up to the roof without being detected. As long as that sheet of glass is between your body and the infrared cameras, you will not be detected, so those doors will all remain open for you if you keep directing the glass toward the cameras."

"Yeah, yeah, I know all of that," Kid replied hurriedly. "But… it's not just us…" His voice trailed off.

"Alright," Conan affirmed slowly, "who else is here?"

"That's just it," Kid muttered with a crackle of static. "There are dozens of people here, all of them dressed as me."

"What?"

"Yeah, it's pretty unnerving," Kid admitted, "but at least I blend in with the crowd…" He paused. "Some have sheets of glass like me, but others are pretty stupid, and they're getting themselves trapped rather quickly. I'm making very slow progress toward the top because these numbskulls keep causing the hallway doors to shut. But I can't stay in the same place too long, or I'll end up creating an infrared hotspot outside of my person, so I'm currently walking around hallway 3B on level 2, waiting for the doors to reopen. If they don't, then so help me… Ah!" There was a shuffling sound on Kid's end. "Alright, progress continues…" Kid commented ruefully. "I'm gonna let you go."

"Understood," Conan confirmed, releasing his hold on the speaker button. Conan set the transmission device on the desk and turned to Ran. "It's strange…" he remarked.

"Strange?"

"Well, this isn't something they would do…" On seeing Ran's confused face, Conan continued. "The organization, the people responsible for… well…" – Conan gestured toward his body – "this, for a start… But, this whole thing…" Conan set his arms on the desk and rested his head in his hands. "It's far too public. Not just for them – for anyone. What would anyone have to gain from such a public spectacle?"

"But it's not entirely public," Ran offered. "They didn't want any visual or auditory sensors inside the building, so there is at least one person they don't want to be recognized as a participant. Or perhaps all people…" Ran paused, deep in thought. "Nothing within the building is on display," she reasoned, "but the building itself… It's surrounded by that huge crowd of spectators outside, the roof has that horrendous, showy, closing contraption, and Kita knows every movement or function of the building…" Ran turned to Conan. "This is the first I'm hearing of this… organization… But all eyes are on this building, and I'm guessing there's a reason for that."

Conan slid out of his chair and began to pace the room. "That's certainly true," he admitted. "And given the size of the crowd in here tonight, it seems that it is fairly simple to enter the building… And mobility within the building is fairly easy, requiring a mere sheet of glass to trick the crude infrared sensors. Furthermore, the roof is surprisingly accessible, for housing a priceless gem…"

Ran nodded. "It's as if they didn't care to prevent anyone from entering the building or obtaining the gem. As far as I can tell, the only powerful security devices are those steel doors, and that roof contraption, keeping us inside the building."

Conan stopped pacing. "Like the Dionaea muscipula," he observed with amusement.

"What?"

"Dionaea muscipula," Conan repeated, "more commonly referred to as the Venus Flytrap." Conan folded his hands behind his back. "Its leaves lie open, welcoming unsuspecting insects into its deceptive jaws. They approach of their own accord, unwittingly marching into their own doom. As soon as they tread into this fateful domain, the plant's leaves snap shut, trapping and killing the insect almost immediately. By the time the insect realizes its peril, it is already too late."

* * *

Kid stepped cautiously through the door and set his sheet of glass against the wall. "I'm almost sorry this is so easy…" he remarked sullenly, glancing around the rooftop. No one appeared to be there, but the roof had already closed over the area. He steadily approached the Vinyl Crystal. Alright. This moment. This moment he had been working toward… Surely this gem was Pandora? _Pandora waits atop the building_, Akako had said. She wasn't the most trustworthy source, but would she lie about this?

Kid bent to examine the gem. There were no security devices. It was seated on a sheet of foam, completely open. And… That brat was right. This was no valuable gem. Just a cheap, silly rock. He knew his gems. He had made it his business to know them, when he had taken up the identity of Kaitou Kid.

First, it had been to discover who had killed his father. To lure them out, to discover what Kuroba Toichi had done to deserve such a fate. And it had been revealed, over time, that his father had been tasked by a mysterious organization to obtain Pandora. Upon learning of the gem – perhaps to what end it would be used, or perhaps simply what it was – his father had refused to complete his task, and was killed for it.

Upon learning this, Kaito had vowed to continue his position as the Kaitou Kid – to destroy Pandora, and to avenge his father's death by bringing the organization, his father's murderers, to justice.

Months had gone by, during which he had led a double life – Kuroba Kaito by day, and Kaitou Kid by night. And each gem failed to match the description of Pandora, said to glow red under the light of the moon… Had he really found Pandora, after all this time? The gem before Kid was emitting a faint red glow from its center. So surely this was it! Surely, this was Pandora!

But… How could it be here? Alone, unguarded, offered up in an attempt to catch a petty thief. The Pandora gem, that was said to shed tears of immortality during the passing of the Volley Comet… Would such a valuable gem be presented so easily?

_Click._

The barrel of a gun pressed against the back of Kid's head.

"Well well well," a gruff voice said, "we meet again, magician."

Kid smiled confidently. "Always a pleasure, I'm sure," he replied smoothly, raising his hands slowly above his head. "It's Snake, isn't it?"

Snake laughed coldly. "You sound so self-assured," he remarked with mock enthusiasm. "But I'm afraid we'll have none of your funny business tonight. You see, our master is very eager to obtain this gem; our entire organization has been dispatched for tonight." Snake grinned. "Each and every one of us is here in this building, to keep Pandora out of your hands."

"Oh… that's a shame," Kid lamented. "I think you've already failed in that endeavor…" Kid pointed slowly toward the gem's foam pad, keeping his arms high above his head. The Vinyl Crystal was nowhere to be seen.

Snake scoffed nervously. "H-Hey, you're in no position to be playing games," he informed Kid. "I've got a gun buried in the back of your head. I thought I already killed you years ago, but I'll do it again just as readily. So… if you would…"

"Well, this is a bit embarrassing," Kid replied casually, "because all this stress from life threats has made me forget where I put it…"

Snake's eye twitched in frustration. "Boys, search him!" he shouted.

Two men, also dressed as Kid, stepped forward and began patting Kid down.

"This is why you probably shouldn't have put the gem in such an easily accessible spot," Kid offered. "Given your reactions, it seems like this was the real thing. Why would you put something like that out just for me?"

"Enough of your jokes," Snake spat angrily. "You know perfectly well we came to get the gem, same as you. If we already had the gem in our possession, we wouldn't go around putting it on the top of a-"

"H-Hey!" a man shouted from behind Kid. "This guy's got the gem, over here! That other one must be a decoy!"

Snake whirled around to see Kid, holding the Vinyl Crystal and slowly backing away from the man who had revealed him, dressed in the same Kid costume.

"I – I'm not going to let you have it!" the Kid squeaked. "I don't care how many assistants Kid has, or which one of you is the real Kid. I'm sick of sitting by watching you petty thieves thwart my father again and again with your dirty deeds! Y-your life of crime is wrong, and I will see you all arrested, no matter what it takes!"

The man cocked his head in confusion.

"Then- the real kid is-" Snake turned around once more, only to find the real Kid gone. The two men who had been searching him were tied to two sheets of glass as if they were spinal injury patients strapped to a backboard. Cursing unintelligibly, Snake turned to face his remaining associate, who was continuing to study the Kid before him. "For god's sake, grab the gem, you idiot!" Snake screamed.

The man continued to advance on the Kid, who continued to back away. He suddenly leapt forward and pulled the Kid's arms behind his back, wrenching the gem from his grasp with relative ease.

"Let me go!" the Kid shouted, kicking and struggling against his captor. Suddenly, he thrust his leg with immense force and speed into the region between the captor's legs, sending him doubling over in pain, faint whimpers escaping his lips.

The Kid bent over the disheveled man to reclaim the gem.

"Aaaaaaaa…Ahou-ko, what are you doing?" the man entreated indignantly, continuing to clutch his groin in pain.

Aoko froze for a moment, and then leaned in closer to the man. "K-Kaito?" She squinted to distinguish his facial details in the dark. "What are you doing here?" she hissed quietly.

"Same as you," Kaito whispered quickly. "I don't want to let Kid get that gem either, so just play along, okay?"

Aoko nodded.

Kaito found his way back to his feet and grabbed the gem from Aoko once more. He then proceeded to pull her hands behind her back, again with an air of surprising expertise. "She's a feisty one, but Ive got her, sir," he shouted to Snake in a voice different from his own.

Aoko froze at the sound of these words, the words that did not belong to Kaito. No, it had to be Kaito. She had known him for so long – how could she be mistaken? Aoko eyed the hands that held her. It- It had to be Kaito… right? But there was an air about him that was… different. Something wasn't right…

* * *

Pu7o, :( Sorry sorry sorry… Sorry… I hope I don't continue to disappoint you! Sorry about Shinichi's brief appearance, but I swear, there IS a reason for it, and I'm very excited to tackle that "reason" when we get there… There IS a reason for the science babble too, I swear!

Klette290595, Ran knows. :) Sorry if my writing gets confusing every now and then. But let me just say, you are doing amazingly well, with English as your nonnative language, and I applaud you for it! I also speak Spanish and Japanese, but I don't think I'd be able to read fanfics in those languages. It's tough! In short, you are AWESOME.

Out-Of-Control-Authoress, Oh my gosh, thank you so much for your compliments. While Kid is explicitly said to know about Conan in the movies, I don't consider the movies canon, since they aren't written by Aoyama Gosho, and he alone (along with maybe his assistants) knows for sure what everyone is supposed to know. But I am a bit of a canon-snob. I also reject the anime from canon, since it has screwed up the real story several times as well. The only form of "Detective Conan" that I consider canon is the original Japanese manga, written and illustrated (mostly) by Aoyama Gosho. I know that everything in there is 100% accurate. I still watch every movie, episode, OVA, magic file, etc, just for fun of course. :D But yeah, in my story, Kid does not know, since I have not found anything in the manga that compels me to believe otherwise. But that doesn't mean I think everyone else is wrong. We are all entitled to our own perceptions of canon, and there are perfectly acceptable arguments from all sides.

Gamer AlchemistZ, Sorry about Shinichi. I swear there is a reason for it, so hopefully that will turn out more fulfilling in the end.

AngelOfTheHealingLight, Oh okay, I see what you mean. Well, maybe she could have found a better time, but I think she's a bit distressed and pretty darn confused, so she's a bit more prone to slipping up. Conan needs to sit down and have a nice long talk with her. And then they need to do… other things… Haha, pardon my dirty wishful thinking! XD

Chelseaj500, I'm so glad I got that effect across. You never know how the story affects others until they read it, so I really appreciate the feedback!

LEP-Surface Division, Thank you so much for your kind words. I really appreciate it, and I sincerely hope we can put the other stuff behind us. If I knew you in person, I would take you out to try and make you feel better. But… Yeah… Let me know if there's anything I can do to make it up to you! *heart*, *hug*, and all that lovely stuff. :)

Kittymama12, Yay! Thank you so much for all your feedback, and your PM was still very much appreciated. Congratulations on reading all those chapters in such a short time! I don't know if my attention span would have been able to take it… But I'm so pleased to have you as another wonderful reader! I'm somewhat busy with school right now, but I absolutely love "Detective Conan" fics, so I will definitely be reading yours sometime in the future.


	14. Pandora's Building: Myth and Reality

To all my lovely reviewers, I have finally realized that I can instantly reply to reviews via Private Message, as opposed to tacking my responses onto the end of each chapter (yes, I know, I'm a n00b). But anyway, I feel that this is a MUCH BETTER approach, so I will be responding to everyone in this fashion from now on (unless you explicitly request I respond at the end of the chapter, in which case I'm always happy to oblige). Anyway, hope you all like this chapter! It took a long time to write, since everything I wrote seemed to sound terrible, no matter how I worded it. I think my brain is broken... :/

Something to think about: Should this fanfic be given a higher maturity rating? It's currently at K+, but a few things in this chapter might put it over the edge... Let me know what you think. Thank you!

* * *

"Bring the gem to me," Snake commanded.

"With all due respect, sir," Aoko's captor replied, "I can't do that."

"What?"

"Well, didn't you notice the disparity in our numbers?"

Snake raised an eyebrow. "What on earth are you talking about?"

The henchman took a deep breath. "Well, there were three of us, you, the Kaitou Kid, and" – he clapped Aoko across the head – "this one."

"Hey!" Aoko snapped angrily, fixing her captor with a glare.

"So it stands to reason," the henchman continued, ignoring the girl's objection, "that Kaitou Kid has escaped."

Snake frowned. "Yeah, clearly," he agreed, "but we have the gem, so who cares? Bring it to me."

"No no no, you misunderstand, sir," the henchman replied quickly. "The gem… I don't have it."

"W-what?"

"The Kaitou Kid isn't here, so perhaps he has it…"

"No, no – I saw you!" Snake protested, striding closer to his henchman. "You just took the gem from this fake Kid!"

"I did do that, sir, yes," the henchman admitted with a nod, "but then she kicked me, and I dropped it…"

"You- you imbecile!"

The henchman glanced around. "I don't see it anymore, so the Kid probably took it…"

"Obviously!" Snake screamed angrily, raising his fist. He took a deep breath and surveyed the rooftop, dropping his arm to his side. "Alright," he continued in a calmer tone, turning back toward his henchman. "We'll untie our men and restrain this fake Kid in their place, and then we'll go find the real Kid."

Aoko began to struggle violently. "Don't you dare tie me up!" she shrieked.

The henchman slowly pulled Aoko toward the men bound to the glass sheets, despite the girl's resistance. Suddenly, he paused, regarding the sight before him in shock. One of the men was sitting atop the sheet of glass to which he had earlier been bound, smiling mysteriously.

"Ah, so you're already free," Snake remarked dismissively, upon seeing the freed man. "Go ahead and help him tie that girl down, and free the other guy while you're at it."

The man sitting upon the glass did not move, aside from raising an eyebrow. Aoko's captor continued to watch the man warily.

"Y-you," the henchman began nervously. There was no way anyone could have escaped from such bonds…

"Yes," the man replied smoothly, returning to his feet. "I'm afraid I grow tired of this masquerade…"

Snake blinked at the man in confusion. "I don't understand. Masquerade…?" A sudden thought struck him, and he turned angrily toward the man. "It's you!" he shouted. "After all this time, the _real_ Kaitou Kid!"

Aoko's captor stiffened. It did appear that way. The man before him… His voice and appearance were unmistakably that of Kuroba Toichi, his father, the original and _real_ Kaitou Kid. But that couldn't be right! His father was dead… Wasn't he?

* * *

Hakuba Saguru slid stealthily down the corridor, keeping his target in sight. _Kuroba Kaito_, he thought smugly to himself, a satisfied smile spreading across his face, _you'll not escape this time._ He had been tailing Kid for nearly half an hour, and now he had him cornered. Kid was walking down a hall that led only to a single room. There was no escape except back up the hall, past Hakuba.

But Hakuba did not have much of a plan… This heist had been announced so quickly… And Kaito was clever, far too clever for any grand scheme to work on him. But here was Kid, within his reach. Hakuba had to try something.

The high school detective continued to tread carefully down the hall, maintaining a cautious distance. Kid neglected to notice his pursuer and passed through the doorway into the room. Hakuba had him! Okay. He needed to enter the room before the door was sealed shut, trapping Kid within. Hakuba slid along the wall, still hidden from the infrared camera behind his sheet of glass. He slipped quietly into the room, blocking the exit at the doorway.

He tossed his sheet of glass onto the floor. Within an instant, the infrared sensor perceived his presence, and the door closed swiftly behind him. Kid jumped at the noise, and, upon catching sight of Hakuba, began to flee further into the room. Without sparing a moment for thought, Hakuba leapt forward, attaching himself to Kid's legs.

The thief squealed and fell forward. He began attempting to kick Hakuba off, but the detective held fast. Kid struggled and fought to break free, causing him and his captor to tumble forward, tripping over one another while rolling blindly across the floor.

Hakuba struggled to return to his feet, only to fall over Kid, who in turn, tried the same thing, only to fall over Hakuba. The two continued to travel in such a way, fighting for balance around the entire room. Finally, Hakuba resigned himself to the floor, where at least he would be safe from falling over.

No sooner than the young detective had accepted his position, Kid also appeared to have arrived at the same conclusion, and he allowed himself to fall onto the floor. Hakuba rolled his body to the left to avoid Kid, only to find both his and Kid's faces smashed together against the wall. Hardly a moment had passed when the wall suddenly fell through, hurtling the two backwards into a long, metal chute.

Kid screamed as they fell vertically, banging and clanging into odd corners along the way. Hakuba attempted to slow their descent by grasping aimlessly at the walls, but it was to no avail. They continued to pound around the chute, gradually gaining velocity, until they suddenly crashed into a large pile of rubbish.

Hakuba lay on his back, panting for air. He turned toward Kid, who was similarly prostrated and gasping for life. The high school detective slowly sat up and began to take in his surroundings. He had to be in a lower level of the building, given the fall. Most likely the ground level. And… It seemed that he and Kid had fallen into a large rubbish skip, the walls of which were… about six meters high on all sides. It would take quite an effort to climb out…

Kid slowly sat up, panting and eying the refuse in which he sat with wide eyes. "What," he hissed, struggling to catch his breath, "what on Earth is wrong with you?"

"Listen, Kuroba-kun," Hakuba directed authoritatively, "I leave you alone at school, but we both know that during a heist, anything is fair game." Hakuba smiled up at the tall sides of the rubbish skip. "And it looks like you've finally been trapped, in a sense at least…"

"Ugh, you are so arrogant," Kid grumbled in a soft, feminine voice, attempting to remove items of garbage from long, scarlet hair. "So assured in yourself that still you cannot notice the obvious…"

Hakuba paused, taken aback at the sound of Kid's voice. Well, Kaito could disguise his voice easily enough, but… He leaned forward to make out the detail of his prisoner's face.

"No…" Hakuba said slowly.

His companion raised an eyebrow.

"No!" Hakuba repeated.

"Come on, I'm not that bad," the companion objected.

Hakuba moaned, allowing himself to fall back onto the pile of rubbish. He proceeded to bury his face in his hands. "Bollocks," he grumbled in a muffled voice. "To think I gave up my holiday in England, to end up trapped in a skip bin, with none other than Koizumi Akako…"

Akako rolled her eyes. "To think I came here to help one idiot," she shot back icily, "only to become stuck with another…"

* * *

Snake began to advance on the mysterious man, only to halt as the man produced a handgun from his pocket and pointed it at his assailant.

"Don't you move," he commanded coolly. He turned to Aoko's captor. "And none of your tricks, please."

Kaito bit his lip.

"Ha! A-As if that's a real gun," Snake laughed uneasily. "You won't kill anyone anyway, so what can you do to me?" He began to move forward again, although with reduced speed.

The man who resembled Kuroba Toichi turned sideways and fired a shot straight into the chest of the other henchman whom Kid had tied to the glass sheet, killing the man instantly. Snake stopped dead in his tracks.

The man turned to face Snake, a pitiless smile on his face. "Just so we understand each other," he explained.

"How… how dare you," Kaito muttered quietly.

"I beg your pardon?"

"You aren't the real Kid," Kaito said through clenched teeth, pulling Aoko behind him so that she was shielded from the handgun. "The real Kaitou Kid was a great man. His name was Kuroba Toichi, and he died protecting the world from men like you. How dare you attempt to pass yourself off as him."

The man laughed. "Is it any worse than what you do?"

Kaito glared at the man in silence.

"So you're the one who took the Pandora gem," Snake submitted angrily.

The man paused, regarding Snake with amusement. "You – you can't be serious," he laughed. "You still think that worthless rock is Pandora?"

Snake frowned.

"Oh dear!" the man exclaimed. "It appears you did. When I had heard about your interpretation, thinking Pandora was some sort of gem, I did not believe anyone could be so stupid… But clearly, I was wrong." He sighed. "Anyway, if you still want that rock that we dressed up to match your delusions, even going so far as to stick a light bulb in the center and giving it a name befitting a fake Pandora, your friend here dumped the gem into the transition shaft. It should be arriving in the main chamber on the second floor any minute now…"

Snake stepped forward. "What – what do you mean?" he asked. "Pandora _is_ a gem! That information we obtained described it thusly! It's a gem that shines red in the moonlight, and during the passing of the Volley Comet, it sheds tears of immortality!"

"Have you heard of any gem in the known world like that?" the man asked plainly. His question was greeted with silence. "I mean, come on!" he continued. "Moonlight making it shine red, a comet making it exude some sort of immortal elixir? Did you really think you had translated the passage correctly?"

"They're… They're all metaphors" Kaito said quietly. All eyes turned to him. "You've misinterpreted metaphors, used to describe Pandora, as literal assertions," he explained in a louder voice.

Snake frowned in confusion.

"Pandora is a woman from ancient Greek mythology," Kaito asserted apprehensively. "She was the first woman, to whom each god contributed a gift. And that's what she was – all-gifted, and a gift to humanity itself, the literal meaning of her name." Kaito glanced around nervously. "It sounds to me like the passage you acquired is describing this Pandora. She is compared to a beautiful, perfect gem, because she is the same: a flawless, desirable gift. I would go on to assume that the tears she cries are not _immortal_, but _endless_, meaning she mourns for eternity. Although she was a gift, Pandora also greatly harmed the world of man, when through idle curiosity, she opened a jar, releasing all evils into the world. Pandora forever carries the shame of this act, thus moving her to eternally mourn. The passing of the Volley Comet stimulating her tears is most likely referring to the passage of time, as stars and comets move across the sky in accordance with months and years. So the mention of the comet, referring to time, further augments the theme of her mourning throughout all of time. As for the red shine, I would guess that her eyes shine with tears, and the sclera of her shining eyes are red and inflamed, from the endless crying." Kaito paused. "Pandora is, therefore, nothing more than the sad, ageless, mythical woman, mourning as an eternity passes, unable to find recompense for her actions."

A stiff silence followed Kaito's explanation. "Wow…" the man finally exclaimed. "You've gotten it right on the mark, just like your father…"

"Do you mean to tell me," Snake interrupted, "that all of this is just from some silly myth?"

"That's right," the man replied steadily.

"But our agent," Snake continued to protest, "our agent delivered that intelligence to us directly from its source…"

"He brought you that Dutch poem, right? The one from the confidential Roujuu report, gathered from the Rangaku at Dejima Island?" Noting Snake's surprise, the man continued. "And I'm guessing he called himself Pisco…?"

"How- how much do you know?"

The man threw back his lead and laughed. "We know everything. We knew that Masuyama Kenzo, or Pisco, gave you that poem, and that is why we had him killed, after letting him take the fall for a crime. At first, we feared that you would seek out Pandora, but when you began to target large gems, we realized you had grossly misinterpreted the information. You weren't really a threat, since your views were so skewed, but we've recently decided that we cannot continue to let you make such a spectacle of our greatest secret, no matter how flawed your perception of it is."

The man narrowed his eyes. "And I'm afraid this is also personal," he said slowly, his eyes fixed on Snake. "You see, I've wanted to kill you for a long time, for what you did to Kuroba Toichi…"

Kaito drew in his breath. Aoko grasped his hand and squeezed it reassuringly.

"You contracted him to find Pandora," the man recalled. "Toichi was a clever man; he learned what Pandora really was right away." He paused. "But Toichi also knew that, should he reveal the secret of Pandora, he and everyone close to him would be killed. So he opted instead to refuse your request, so you would kill him, and his friends and family would remain safe."

The man cocked his gun, pointing it straight at Snake, who stood frozen in fear. "You monsters," he muttered furiously. "He… He had understood me. He had promised to help me! And then your stupid organization, with your petty dreams of immortality, had sent him off to die!" Two shots fired quickly from the handgun, blowing out each of Snake's kneecaps. He collapsed to the ground, howling in pain.

Aoko buried her face in Kaito's shoulder.

The man walked toward Snake until he stood over him, pointing his gun downward.

"Don't kill him!" Kaito shouted.

The man turned to Kaito, smiling coldly. "Oh, I don't intend to kill him this instant," he offered. He turned back to Snake, who continued to lie on the ground, screaming. "For the man who killed Toichi – who sabotaged his magic act, and watched without feeling as the man burst into flames and burned to death upon the stage – he will die the same way, with a slow, painful death."

Suddenly, the roof began to shake.

* * *

"Wh-What in heavens name…?" Inspector Nakamori shouted, having just witnessed a small explosion erupting from the third floor.

"It was caused by some sort of electrical fire," Kita reported, viewing the details on her computer.

"Can we contain it?" Jirokichi asked.

Kita bit her lip. "I'm not sure…"

Nakamori sighed. "Alright… Then we'll have to open the building."

Kita turned to face the inspector. "Sir?"

"If that fire spreads, I can't have all those people trapped inside the building," Nakamori reasoned. "We've got to get them out."

"Right," Kita agreed, turning back to her screen. She began punching commands into her keyboard. She frowned, studying the screen. She tried again, watching her fingers on the keyboard. Kita turned back to the screen, only to realize she had failed again.

"What's wrong?" Nakamori wondered.

"Th-there's something wrong with the override code…" Kita observed uneasily. "It's… hmmm… Here, I'll try to analyze the source of the problem…" Kita's fingers moved furiously across the keyboard.

After a few minutes, she smiled. "Got it!" she exclaimed triumphantly. She pulled up the source code. Suddenly, Kita's face went pale. "No… no…" she whimpered slowly.

"For crying out loud, what is it?" Jirokichi shouted anxiously.

Kita swallowed uneasily. "Are…" She closed her eyes tightly and then opened them again. "Are you two familiar with Night Baron?"

"What?"

"I know it," Nakamori replied. "It was a super-virus, a threat to national security. But your company overcame it, and established nationwide firewalls against it."

Kita nodded, turning back to her screen. "This code is unmistakable," she admitted apprehensively. "It must have been updated, to somehow bypass our security measures…" Kita's eyes were wide with fear as she struggled to continue.

"For goodness' sake," Jirokichi growled, "just tell us what is wrong!"

"It's Night Baron!" Kita finally exclaimed. "It's back, and it's overridden my control of the building!"

* * *

"What was that explosion?" Snake demanded from his crumpled position on the tiles of the roof.

The man smiled. "The beginning of your death," he answered calmly. "Since you were content to watch Toichi burn to death, I shall do the same to you. You said your entire organization has been dispatched to this building, correct?"

Snake's eyes widened.

"This building will remain sealed," the man continued, "and soon it will be consumed in flames. You, and all of your men, will burn to cinders and ash, as I watch and laugh."

Snake scoffed forcibly. "Well, you forgot to account for the fact that you're sealed in here too," he informed his assailant dryly. "This building isn't going to just let you out-"

"On the contrary," the man interrupted, throwing off his Kaitou Kid disguise. A beautiful, foreign woman, with long blonde hair, now stood before the group.

A rope suddenly descended from above their heads and fastened around the woman's waist. Kaito quickly turned skyward to see that the roof's cover was slightly ajar, and a helicopter hovered above the building. Before Kaito could make a move, the woman was raised beyond his reach toward the hole in the roof cover.

"This is Pandora's building!" the woman called out as she flew up toward the helicopter. "So it will do as I say, for I am Pandora, the great gem of humanity!"

The roof snapped shut, sealing fifty-two people, scattered across various floors and rooms, trapped with friends and enemies alike, within the burning building.

* * *

Kittymama12, You're the exception, because I can't seem to be able to PM you! But thank you so much for your kindness. I am slowly recovering. But anyway, I'm very happy to have you on board as a reader! And thanks for taking the time to review. I did write Heiji and Kazuha's voices differently to indicate their Kansai dialect. I decided that the closest parallel to Kansai vs. Kanto dialects in English is probably Cockney English vs. Southern English dialect, so I'm gonna proceed along that vein. :)


	15. Pandora's Building: Burning

Hey everyone, sorry this chapter took a while. I thought I was going to finish up the current story with this chapter, but it ended up getting really long, and there's still a lot more to cover before we finish up, so I picked a good place for this chapter to end, and I'll release the conclusion a bit later. I hope everything in this chapter makes sense. There are a few plot points that I'm leaving empty so that you don't see the big picture yet, but hopefully you can still follow everything that is happening.

Edit: I drew a picture for the scene from Ch12, when Shinichi turned back into Conan and looked down at his large clothes. You can find it at: h t t p : / / j e b b i f u r z z . d e v i a n t a r t . c o m / # / d 3 9 c k q m (remove the spaces :D)

* * *

"Are you satisfied?" Bourbon asked lazily. "You know how big of a risk that was, just for you to scream at some man whom you hate."

Vermouth glared at the sly head of the Acquisitions Branch. "This fit perfectly into our plans," she shot back. "Exacting my revenge was secondary. But even so, some of my best work can be done when I give it personal significance."

"That's true," Bourbon agreed, glancing out the side of the helicopter. "Speaking of personal significance, I trust you saw 'Seville' on Suzuki Jirokichi's televised challenge?"

Vermouth nodded. "You should be happy," she offered in amusement. "He's doing the work you've failed to do."

Bourbon smiled and turned to meet Vermouth's eyes. "And you," he said flatly.

Vermouth rolled her eyes and glanced out her window. "Well, it looks like we're here," she said slowly. "Do you want to join me, or should I go alone?"

Bourbon shrugged. "Yeah, sure, I'll come along. It's a bit more standard anyway."

Vermouth tossed a duffel bag toward her companion. "Alright, make sure you're ready in ten minutes."

* * *

"Shinichi!" Ran shouted. She raced toward the pile of rubble that the explosion had brought down. She paused a moment, awaiting an answer. But there was only silence. Ran leapt forward, ignoring the tall flames that roared all around, and began tearing away the smaller pieces of rubble.

"Shinichi!" she called again, clawing frantically at the mound. "Shinichi, answer me!" Ran struggled to lift a large chunk of the ceiling. It would not budge. "Shinichi, or Conan-kun, or whatever you want me to call you –" Ran stood panting for a moment before draping herself hopelessly over the piece of rubble that she had failed to lift. "I don't care who you are," she continued, "just say something to let me know you're alive!"

"I-" a small voice managed to squeak from beneath the rubble. "I'm here, Ran…"

Ran stopped, and slowly returned to her feet, tears glistening in her eyes. "Thank goodness," she said after a pause, rubbing her eyes with her dirty hands. "Are you alright?"

There was a brief pause. "Y-yeah, I'm fine," Conan answered slowly. "It looks like I've been pretty lucky – I'm under a desk, so the rubble has formed a sort of enclosure. But…" Conan coughed. "There isn't much Oxygen, and the fire is likely to consume what little I have left…"

"Ah – then stop talking!" Ran commanded worriedly. "Listen, I'm going to call for help, so try and hold on for a little bit. I'll get you out of here. I promise."

Ran pulled out her phone and dialed with trembling fingers.

"Nakamori here," a gruff voice answered. "I'm afraid I'm a bit busy right now-"

"Nakamori-keibu, it's Mouri Ran," Ran cut in quickly. "We need you to open up the building and send your men to the main chamber on the third level. There's been an explosion, and Conan-kun is trapped under rubble, and the fire is spreading."

There was a pause. "Do you think you can control the fire?" Nakamori asked.

"I'll try my best," Ran replied, "but it was a huge explosion, so could you please just forget about trapping Kid for a moment and consider the fact that Conan-kun's life is at risk? Just open up the building and send your men in!"

"N-no, you don't understand…" Nakamori said nervously, startled by the young woman's aggressive tone.

"The system has been compromised," Kita's voice cut in, "by a virus known as Night Baron." She paused. "I'm afraid I've lost control of the building, so I cannot get you out even if I wanted."

"N-Night Baron?" Ran set her phone to speaker mode. It may help for Shinichi – or Conan-kun – to hear this… Ran pondered the situation. She had to get Conan out as soon as possible…

A sudden thought struck Ran. "Hey!" she suddenly exclaimed, startling the group listening on the other line. "If I recall correctly, your system gives you executive control over the doors, right? The system has been hacked by the Night Baron, but it only acted to bring central control of the doors to your command center. According to what you said earlier, the doors were originally controlled locally, by entering a specific code into the door. Since the system has now failed, that means, then, that control has been returned to the local level. If you can provide us with the codes, we can open the doors, one by one! You must have the codes, since you needed to write a program that would open each door on command…"

"Y-you're right!" Kita exclaimed excitedly, turning back to her computer. "Let me pull them up…"

Kita began typing quickly, but paused a moment to cough into her hand. She resumed her work, but within a moment, she began coughing harder. Suddenly, she fell to the ground, panting and clutching at her throat.

"Kichida-san!" Nakamori shouted, supporting the young woman by her shoulders. Kita continued to wheeze, her breathing growing weaker by the moment. "Get the paramedics over here!" Nakamori barked at his men, checking Kita's airway for an obstruction.

"It- it's okay," Kita said slowly, between pained gasps. "It… it's…" Kita's eyes slowly closed, and her body became limp.

"We're here, we're here!" a young man shouted, racing with his partner toward Nakamori and Kita. "Sorry, it took us a while, getting through that crowd. But we didn't think you'd have people for us to treat already…"

"Kuso…" Nakamori cursed under his breath, relinquishing Kita's unconscious body to the paramedics. As they bent to examine the young woman, Nakamori pondered the situation. He'd been with Kita the entire time… He hadn't seen anything out of the ordinary… And this whole situation made him uneasy. This virus had been created by someone, with malicious intentions, and they had to have been extremely skilled, to have overcome Kita's powerful system. And now, just as they had found a way to enter the building, Kita had been rendered unconscious…

"Ano…" Ran's voice called out from the speaker on Kita's table.

Nakamori seated himself in Kita's chair. "I'm still here," he announced into the speaker. "Let me see if I can pull the codes up." He turned to face the monitor, only to discover that the screen had gone blank. Nakamori checked the power. On. He checked the connection. It was fine. He tried turning the computer back on, but it was no use. He knew it was no use. Whoever had caused all of this would not make it so easy… Nakamori heaved a heavy sigh.

"Listen," he said slowly into the speaker. "We can't get to the codes… It appears that you are sealed within the building with the steel doors. The fire will destroy everything in there, but the steel doors will remain standing, preventing your escape. We can't open them, so our only choice is to bust into the building by force, through the walls. We've got our guys working to get through the front right now, and the fire department is sending their men over as we speak. It's going to take a lot of time, since we're busting through dry wall, and your section of the building is the most inaccessible from the outside, so I cannot guarantee we will reach you in time… I guess, all I can say is… The longer you can hold off that fire, the better; you understand?"

"Y-yeah," Ran affirmed. "Actually, to get through the doors-"

"Do you know where everyone else is?" Nakamori suddenly asked.

Ran paused in confusion. "What do you mean?"

"Besides you and the Edogawa kid," Nakamori offered, "there are fifty other people in the building. If we know where most of them are accumulated, we can try to make our way to those areas first..."

_Fifty people?_ Ran thought to herself. The number was staggering, and she hadn't even known…

"I don't know where they are," Ran admitted, "but actually, you don't need to go through the walls. You can get through the steel doors." She paused for a moment. "Before entering this room, Conan-kun and I went throughout the building placing a strip of tape over the holes into which the door is sealed when it slides down to close itself. From this, all of the doors register as being sealed when in reality, they can be opened without unlocking the doors. It will take a bit of time and a lot of energy, but it is possible to lift each door without Kita-san's system."

Nakamori was silent. "W-why did you two do that?" he wondered after a pause.

"It doesn't matter right now," Ran said hurriedly. "That's going to make it easier to save everyone, so please just proceed with that in mind. You'll need a crowbar to wedge a space under the door, and after that, it takes about fifteen minutes to lift the door against the resistance."

"Ah, crowbar…?"

"Yes," Ran affirmed, "a crowbar. Or any sort of elongated tool with a wedge on one end. Conan-kun and I found one in the building during our initial survey. Ah, but anyway, that's as much as I can help you. I need to try and help Conan-kun now." With that, Ran hung up.

Nakamori turned back toward Kita. The paramedics were lifting her into their truck. He turned to watch his men as they attempted to break through the front door. What a day it had been… It had begun quite simply; he and only a few officers had come into the office to finish a bit of paperwork. Then he had gotten a call from Jirokichi, informing him that he would need to call all of his men onto duty, depriving them of their day off. On top of that, the paperwork would still need to get done, so after the Kid heist, they would need to head back to the office to complete it.

Then he had gotten a call informing him that his daughter and her friend Kaito were being held as suspects in a murder case. But he couldn't help, given his obligations. Then, just as he had begun to feel confident about this evening, he had gotten knocked out, and woke up gagged and tied to a toilet in some handicapped stall. He could not move or speak, and as he had sat there, completely helpless, he had heard some young man banging around in another stall, panting, and screaming. Such terrible screams, as if he were dying. What in heaven's name could have been wrong with him? He didn't know. All he knew was that he couldn't help.

Then some light-haired woman in a light blouse and red heels suddenly kicked down the door of his stall, and was surprised to see him there. Why, then, did she kick down the door? He didn't know, but he had priorities. The woman untied him, and he had rushed out of the building, to find himself leaving the building adjacent to the one holding the Vinyl Crystal. And now fifty-two people were trapped inside of it. And Kita… He didn't know what had happened to her…

He had wanted to catch Kid, to make this terrible day worth his suffering. But everything had changed by this point. The only thing that needed to concern him now was getting everyone out safe. He didn't know who all of those people were, who had entered the building, or why they were there, but it couldn't be helped. They simply needed to be saved.

Nakamori grabbed his communicator and rushed off to join his men.

* * *

"Stay under that desk, okay?" Ran shouted.

"A-ah," a faint voice agreed.

Ran breathed slowly for a moment, her eyes closed, attempting to gather her strength. Suddenly, her eyes shot open, and she rushed forward, ferocity and desperation pounding through her veins. Ran flew toward a piece of rubble, her leg outstretched, shouting a loud kiai over the sound of the roaring flames.

The rubble crumbled into pieces, and before they had all fallen to the ground, Ran flew once more at the pile, breaking down several more blocks in the pile. Again and again she threw herself forward with all of her strength, slowly disintegrating the pile, until the edge of a desk finally came into view.

Ran swept the debris from the top, and began pulling at the rubble underneath. After a few minutes, she uncovered Conan, crouched under the small wooden shelter. Conan glanced up at her, his eyes wide. "You- you do know that I'm terrified of you, right?" he squeaked in a weak voice.

Ran grabbed Conan's arm and pulled him out into the room. "Remind me to reinforce that fear a bit more," Ran teased, "so you don't keep these crazy secrets from me anymore."

Conan cast his eyes downward, feeling ashamed of his actions. "Listen, Ran," he said slowly, "I want to explain everything properly…"

"I would like that," Ran agreed, "but the reason I didn't force any sort of confession earlier was because I knew we had a lot to do before we could talk. And it's the same way right now." Ran turned around to smile at Conan. "You can tell me all about it when we get out of here!"

Conan nodded, coughing into his hand. He was mildly thankful for his inability to respond. As the coughing fit passed, Conan attempted to change the subject. "Ran, does the English word 'Seville' hold any importance, to your knowledge?"

Ran considered the word, and then shook her head. "It doesn't," she said slowly. "Why?"

"I've seen it two places today, written in Roman letters," Conan explained softly. "On the bottom of that desk, and on the wall of a bathroom stall in the adjacent building.

Ran began making her way toward the door, pulling Conan along behind her. "An employee's name, perhaps?" she suggested. Ran scooped the crowbar up from its position on the ground and thrust it under the door. She turned to Conan. "You heard the situation, right?"

Conan nodded, resolving to ignore the word for the time being. "Thanks for putting that on speaker," he wheezed. "In any case, I feel that we should set about rescuing those fifty people before taking our leave of this building – what do you think?"

Ran smiled. "Sounds like a good plan," she said. "Let's do our best."

* * *

The lone light, dangling precariously from the ceiling, briefly caught the shine of a pair of brilliant red high heels. Within an instant, they passed once more into the shadows, the hollow sound of each step echoing down the dark, deserted corridor.

The flame of a cigarette lighter flickered within a chamber at the end of the hall before it was snuffed out. Then with a click, it was rekindled, only to be extinguished once more. At the approach of the bright red heels, the lighter paused, then burst again into flames, this time descending through the air to light a small candle, standing on a long, black table.

The red heels clicked to a stop before the table. The light-haired young woman, her face alit from the cold glow of the flame, eyed the table distastefully. "Ara, after all this time, you are still incapable of romance," she remarked disdainfully.

The light-haired man stepped from the shadows into the eerie glow that now lay reflected within his sharp, steely eyes. "Don't flatter yourself," he returned coldly. "It is death that is the greatest romance, and it is I who deliver it. Think of me, then, as the pinnacle of romance, the god Eros himself…" The man quickly drew his gun and pointed it at the young woman. "Delivering a romantic ending as my sacred bow pierces the victim's breast…"

The young woman crossed her arms. "How boring," she scoffed.

Within an instant, the door that led back out into the hall closed behind the light-haired woman.

"In any case," the man continued, smiling at the door that had sealed the two of them within the chamber, "I have anticipated your intentions perfectly. You could not resist this chance to pretend that you care about human lives. On seeing 'Seville' on Suzuki Jirokichi's televised challenge, you knew we would be here tonight, and you knew what we were planning to do. And so, to feed your self-righteous ego, you have come here this evening, in an attempt to stop us. But you have chosen the coward's way. Instead of entering the building yourself, and entering the passcodes from your memory, you've elected to come to this adjacent building, through the entrance in the handicapped bathroom stall, to this chamber from which one may override the building's controls. You thought to keep yourself safe by coming here, but it is, in fact, the opposite. Now that I have you here, you will leave this room only as a beautiful corpse, your blood dripping down my arms as I bear you forth."

The light-haired woman sighed, leaning herself against the wall disinterestedly. "If you must know," she began, "I elected this route because you've obviously changed the passcodes since I left-"

"Ah, that is true," the man admitted. "Vermouth wrote tonight's codes herself."

"Exactly," the woman continued stoically. "With new codes, I would have to be a brilliant detective to figure my way out. This was the only way I could be sure of my success."

"So much forethought," the man sneered, "and still you've failed to anticipate my trap." He moved the aim of his gun across the woman's body. "I've had this room sealed, and it can only be opened by a third party on my command. So, Sherry, are you still sure of your success?"

Sherry pushed herself away from the wall and slowly began striding toward the man. "Oh, Gin," she remarked testily, "now that you've explained it thusly, there is no doubt in my mind."

"What kind of bluff is this?" Gin asked derisively.

Sherry continued to walk toward Gin, stopping once she was directly in front of him. She raised her hands to her neck and began to slowly unbutton her blouse. "I can easily get what I want," Sherry said softly, "being stuck in here with you."

"Is that so?" Gin prompted incredulously.

"Because I know what you desire most in this world…" Sherry continued.

"What a pathetic entreaty," Gin remarked, eagerly venturing closer as Sherry's blouse fell to the floor. Suddenly, he stopped, a brief sign of fear flickering across his normally impassive expression.

"Your life," Sherry finished steadily, her eyes burning in the light of the candle. Beneath the blouse, Sherry's body was covered in C4 explosives, with wires connecting to her heart and to a button in her hand.

Noting the effect on Gin, Sherry continued. "These will go off as soon as my heart stops," she explained, "or as soon as I press this button in my hand." She glanced at the button fondly. "So if you kill me, or don't do as I ask, you will kill yourself."

Gin backed away, silent.

"That is what you want most, isn't it?" Sherry prompted disgustedly, stooping to retrieve her blouse. "To continue to live." Sherry pulled her arms into her shirt and began to button it as she continued. "The great head of the Operations Branch, fancying yourself a god as you execute your victims. But what god fears that over which he rules? Not a god at all. Just a pathetic, frightened little man, seeking solace from his fears by pretending he can control them. Yes, Gin, I am assured of my success, because I know you could never kill yourself. You've killed hundreds without any feeling. You killed my sister, even after she had succeeded in her mission. But you would never kill yourself. You don't want to die. You're too afraid." Sherry narrowed her eyes. "So if you'll excuse me," she offered coldly, stepping past Gin toward the control panel in the back of the room, "I'm going to put an end to this."

After a moment of silence, Gin began to laugh. His laughter caused Sherry to pause, and turn her head to watch him. "You forget," Gin declared with a laugh, "I know you, Sherry." He turned on his heel and approached the young woman from behind. "What you want, what you value most, what you are capable of… You're right. I'm a pathetic worm, killing in some vain attempt to ward off fear of my own death. But we are both pathetic worms, are we not? Serving only ourselves, not truly caring about life, and still madly clinging to it, seeking idle pleasures–" Gin paused a moment to caress Sherry's cheek – "to bring us temporary amusement with the world…"

Sherry remained frozen, shivering at the man's touch.

"But we are one and the same, Sherry," Gin continued. "Just as I will not shoot you to save my own life, you will not press that button, to save yours. Neither of us, then, will die. You cannot kill me. You have only delivered yourself to me, and trapped yourself in this room."

Sherry shook off Gin's hand and continued toward the control panel. "But I can still open the building," she said with forced confidence. She stopped before the controls.

Gin had not yet moved. He was not attempting to stop her.

Sherry moved her fingers across the panel. After all this time, she still knew her way around the system. It was not surprising, given that she had entered the building in this way so many times before – hundreds of times, probably thousands of times… Finally, Sherry clicked the "Submit Command" button.

UNABLE TO COMPLETE ACTION.

The young woman narrowed her eyes, and tried again.

UNABLE TO COMPLETE ACTION.

Gin began to chuckle softly to himself.

Sherry whirled around to face him. "What have you done?" she demanded. "These controls cannot be overridden; it's in their inherent programming." Sherry raised her hand, her finger perched over the button to detonate her explosives. "Tell me how to open the building," she said angrily.

Gin continued to chuckle, slowly circling Sherry. "I'm sorry," he offered smugly, "but I'm afraid times have changed. It's true that these controls cannot be overridden, but they have been, for the most part, disabled. You remember Absinthe (アブサン), don't you? It was Absinthe's updated Night Baron virus that has accomplished this feat."

"A-Absinthe…" Sherry repeated softly, fearfully recalling the agent.

"Yes," Gin continued. "The pathetic child on whom your parents conducted their experiments – those crimes against humanity. And though you have not met in person recently, Absinthe was subjected to much of your work as well. As a result, Absinthe has grown up to be quite cold, bitter, and ruthless. And through all of this experiment's secluded life, locked away in the lab and unable to venture to the outside world, it seems that Absinthe has become a skilled manipulator of computer technology." He shrugged, stepping directly behind Sherry. "It stands to logic, Absinthe's skill. The human who had no control in life, whose own body was even controlled by others – such a person would quickly take to a field in which he could exert control over a machine, a system, the world. We are simple creatures. We all want control in some way, and if we don't initially have it, we will go to great lengths to achieve it." He smiled, lifting the bottom of Sherry's blouse to reveal the explosives packed tightly against her skin. "Isn't that right, Sherry?"

* * *

"Alright, you've cleared this floor, right?" Conan prompted.

"Yeah," Kid affirmed, bent under the weight of Snake's wounded body slung across his shoulders. He turned to a man who was fleeing to a lower floor. "Hey," he called out, stopping the man, "since you're going straight down, take this guy with you." He slowly shifted the wounded man onto the other's shoulder. "Make sure you get him out," Kid commanded.

The man nodded, too stunned by the night's events to protest or even speak. He pulled his superior onto his shoulders and continued to hurry down the stairs. Kid and his companion cast a cursory glance into a nearby room.

"Alright, let's head down," Kid called out to Conan and Ran.

The group began to descend the stairs. Suddenly, a piece of burning wreckage fell before the group, lying between them and their destination. Conan leaned against the wall, panting heavily, with a pained expression on his face. All of this smoke was making it hard to breath. And the flames – they were everywhere. They were so hot.

"We can't afford to rest right now," Kid shouted over the flames. "This building is coming down any minute, and we still have one more level to clear."

Conan continued to lean against the wall, wincing in pain.

Ran bent down and lifted Conan onto her back. "The smoke is too much for him," Ran explained. "I'll carry him from here." She tilted her head to the side to address Conan. "I've got you," she whispered softly in his ear. Conan offered a reluctant nod.

Ran stepped back a few paces, and then began running toward the flaming pile before them. As she reached the wreckage, she leapt into the air and took quick steps over the obstacle. Her shoes sizzled over the flames, and her legs burned, but she pushed through it. As long as she moved quickly, she could get Conan out of the building. Ran finally descended to the floor on the other side, her shoes emitting a smell of burnt rubber.

"Come on!" she shouted to Kid and his companion. After a moment of hesitation, the two of them followed suit.

As Kid touched down on the other side, a side wall began to cave in, bearing down upon the group. Without sparing a single word, the teenagers sprinted down the stairs to avoid the danger, only to be assaulted by more flaming debris falling from the floors above.

The teenagers crouched close to the ground, covering their heads. Ran pulled Conan to the front of her body and hugged him tightly, blocking the falling rubble with her own body.

"I- I don't think there's time to clear the first level," Kid's companion called out from her hunched position.

The burning wreckage slowly ceased, and they used the brief lull to make their way down to the first level.

Kid started down the hall toward the first level rooms. He turned back toward the group decisively. "Get yourselves out of here," he told them flatly. "I'll clear the floor on my own."

"But-" his companion began to protest.

"Listen, Aoko," Kid cut in, "this whole thing is my problem. You three have nothing to do with the people that did this. They wanted Snake and his men dead, and they wanted me dead. You saw that foreign woman, and the hatred in her eyes. This is all a huge mess, but my father died for this cause. That's why I feel like I have to see it to the end." He removed his hat and monocle. "Aoko," he said, "you are my best friend, so before I go, I want to tell this to you directly, though I'm sure it's already clear – I, Kuroba Kaito, am the Kaitou Kid. After what we've experienced tonight, you've heard my reasons for doing all of this. I don't expect you to agree with my actions, but I just hope… maybe in time, you can accept what I've done…"

"I'll take that as a confession," a gruff voice called out.

With a startled expression, Kaito turned around to find himself facing none other than Inspector Nakamori Ginzo. With the inspector were several of his police men, paramedics, and members of the fire department.

"Ah, well, that's what I'd say if I WERE Kid," Kaito added nervously.

"I'll expect a full explanation from everyone back at the office," Nakamori retorted, narrowing his eyes.

Aoko stepped forward. "Ah, otoosan, it's not what you think," she began.

Nakamori's jaw dropped. "A-Aoko?" he stammered in disbelief. "What are _you_ doing here?" He glanced down. "And… dressed as Kaitou Kid?"

"Sir," an officer interrupted, "We've cleared the first floor, but we must continue quickly if we hope to rescue everyone from the upper levels."

"Actually," Kaito cut in, "the four of us have already cleared the upper levels. If you've already cleared the first floor, then all that remains is for us to get out of here."

Nakamori regarded Kaito silently for a moment. Finally, he sighed. "Alright," he said slowly, "let's get out of here." He turned around. "But just so everyone understands," he continued over his shoulder, "we are taking each person leaving the building into custody. Most of them seem to be in unlawful possession of weapons, and it is unclear what anyone is doing here, so we need to get the story straight before anyone will be excused."

The group nodded apprehensively and began to follow Nakamori and his men toward the entrance.

* * *

"I cannot believe this!"

"Come now, Absinthe," Bourbon offered calmly, turning to his companion. "You need to channel your frustration into efficiency."

"But do you see this?" Absinthe asked, turning the laptop toward Bourbon. "How is this possible? They were all sealed in the rooms, but now it seems they've gotten the doors open."

"So close them," Bourbon replied smoothly.

"I have," Absinthe objected. "But each time I close the doors, they are somehow opened again…"

Bourbon pondered the situation. Slowly, a smile spread across his face. "I see," he said finally. "They must have prevented the doors from completely sealing themselves," he explained. "There are not enough small objects to wedge beneath the doors, and furthermore, too much space would be detectable by your system. I would guess, then, that they've placed a strip of tape over each door lock."

Absinthe glanced up from the computer screen. "Then… What should we do?"

"Where is everyone congregated?" Bourbon asked.

"On the first floor," Absinthe replied quickly, "behind the two hall doors."

"And both are closed?"

"Yes," Absinthe affirmed. "Those two remain closed from when I closed them after they were first opened. The authorities probably went through the building to rescue people, but they haven't returned to the first two doors, thinking they are already open to let the people out. Besides those first two doors, I've left the rest of them open, since passing through those doors would only bring them further into the building."

"Alright," Bourbon said quickly, "that's perfect. Manipulate the speed with which you close the first two doors. Open the first door, and then close it at least four times faster than the default speed. The force will sever the tape blocking them from being completely sealed. Then open the second door. Some inhabitants in the building may rush through the open door, but the first door will be closed and sealed by that point, so we don't have to worry about them leaving. Then, of course, close the second door quickly like the first, to sever the tape. Then we can ensure that these people will not leave the building."

Absinthe smiled, typing furiously on the laptop. The agent turned to face Bourbon, sporting an air of satisfaction. "It is done," Absinthe said proudly. "Now, they will certainly die."

"You're so cold," Bourbon remarked slyly. "As you destroy the lives of fifty-two human beings, you only smile…"

"It's because I hate them," Absinthe muttered quickly. "With every fiber of my body, I hate them. To think that with everything I've sacrificed, to make this world better, rats like that can continue to exist… It makes me shiver, wondering how the innocent masses can keep themselves safe from such hateful criminals."

Bourbon laughed and glanced over his shoulder. "Care to weigh in, Vermouth?" he prompted smugly. "You've been awfully quiet… One would almost think that you were having a hard time delivering these deaths…"

Vermouth crossed her arms. "No," she shot back. "I could care less whether they live or die. I've already proven myself to be a monster. And a monster's humanity cannot be returned – it can only gain peace with death, delivered by the shot of a silver bullet."

Bourbon glanced from Vermouth to Absinthe, a bemused smile on his face. "You two are very much alike," he observed casually.

* * *

Sherry turned back toward the control panel, ignoring Gin as he carried on. She attempted a separate command.

UNABLE TO COMPLETE ACTION.

"What are you doing?" Gin asked in amusement. "I told you; control is disabled."

Sherry attempted another command.

UNABLE TO COMPLETE ACTION.

A sudden thought struck Sherry. She entered a command into the system. _Kudo-kun,_ she thought to herself, _this is the reason I wanted you inside the building tonight. In case they pulled something like this, I know this would not be disabled… I hope you'll forgive me, for endangering your life. But… I hope you can figure this out…_ Submit command.

ACTION COMPLETED.

Gin stood dumbfounded. He grabbed Sherry by the shoulders and pushed her against the wall. "What did you just do?" he demanded. "Almost everything was disabled!"

Sherry smiled. "Just turning the lights on," she said slowly.


	16. Pandora's Building: The Policeman

Everyone, I'm very sorry that I have not updated in a long time. I have been very busy with my classes, and with my sports (I run Track and Field, which is currently in season). Also, with the distressing situation in Japan, I have been volunteering a lot of my time to coordinating supply donations and fundraising events to send aid to Japan. Let us all continue wishing the best for the Japanese people.

*A/N: Katakana characters are the Japanese syllabary used for sound effects and words borrowed from other languages. Borrowed words are used for objects/concepts introduced to Japan after the language was already in existence. For example, the personal computer was not around in the earliest days of Japan, and was only recently perfected for personal use in the United States of America. Computer was the name given to this object in English, so, rather than making up a word to call this object, the Japanese simply borrowed the word computer, with their own pronunciation, of course, given that their phonetic alphabet does not include the same sounds of ALL other languages. Computer would be written in katakana as コンピュータ, and would be pronounced cone-pee-youuu-tah (blended together, with "you" drawn out a bit).

* * *

Conan studied the adhesive markings at the bottom of the door. "Well," he decided, returning to his feet, "it appears as though we can no longer lift the doors open. The tape has been severed, leaving behind a useless patch of adhesive backing."

"No way!" Nakamori exclaimed, kneeling down to view the door himself.

"Keibu," Conan commanded forcefully, "there is no need to confirm it for yourself. Of this I am certain, and given the rate at which the flames are spreading, we have only a matter of minutes remaining before the structural supports begin to collapse upon us." Conan pointed toward a section of wall several meters from the steel door. "Order your men to attempt to break through that wall over there – it is that area at which the structural integrity of the building will be least compromised – and be sure to enlist the help of the criminals dressed as Kaitou Kid; many of them have weapons that may prove useful."

For a moment, Nakamori was stunned at the prospect of a child giving him the most clear, direct, and logical orders. But the severity of the situation quickly revived him, and he rushed toward his men.

"Hey, are you sure that is a good idea?" Kaito prompted. "Given the thickness of that wall, they will not be able to break out before the fire causes the building to collapse onto us. It's a useless endeavor."

Conan nodded. "It may be useless," he admitted, "but we cannot feebly accept defeat. As long as there is something to do- as long as there is anything to do, no matter the odds, we must continue to fight as best we can. Even if we die, at least everyone will have had the opportunity to fight for his life."

Kaito smiled. "Alright, you pass!" he announced decisively. He wrapped his arm quickly around Aoko's waist and pulled her toward himself. "What would you have us do, boss?"

"Hey, let go of me!" Aoko shrieked, pulling away from Kaito. She directed her gaze toward Conan. "But you're the little kid who always outwits this bozo, right?" Aoko jerked her thumb over her shoulder toward Kaito. "Do you want us to help with the wall as well?"

"No, it seems they have plenty of helping hands," Conan observed. "And anyway, we have the more important task to accomplish." Conan smiled assuredly. "If we want to leave this building alive, we must solve the door codes."

Kaito let out a whistle. "Pretty big talk, considering we know absolutely nothing about these door codes."

"We know nothing now," Conan stated pointedly, "but we shall be fed pertinent information very soon now…" He gazed across the lobby toward the main corridor. The image of a flashing light caught his eye, and he smiled triumphantly. "It seems that person has provided our hint." With an enthusiastic glint in his eye, Conan took off at a run toward the corridor.

"Well, I see he still has a flair for the dramatic," Kaito commented to Ran and Aoko as they followed close behind.

"You're one to talk," Aoko shot back.

"Conan!" Ran called after him. "That person… To whom exactly are you referring?"

Conan stopped as he reached the open door leading into the main corridor. He turned to Ran. "It's our good friend Seville. Our captors had anticipated that person would attempt to intervene tonight, but they did not know which option he would choose." Conan smiled knowingly. "That is why our captors left a message for Seville in both locations."

Ran caught her breath as she struggled to follow Conan's train of thought. "Two messages to Seville, one on the door in the bathroom, and the other on the desk in the Conference Room."

Conan nodded. "The message in the bathroom scolded Seville for his cowardice, and welcomed him to try the 'selfish way'. The one on the desk commended Seville for his courage, and welcomed him to try the 'suicide way'."

"Which way has Seville taken?" Ran asked.

"By our captor's terms," Conan replied quickly, "Seville has taken the 'selfish way'. But such a term does not give credit to the true risk of Seville's endeavor." Conan turned toward the control panel beside the door. "At any rate," he continued, "we had best get started here…"

Conan pulled out his 'Detective Boys' notebook with aqua and yellow roman letters 'DB' on the back. He began marking down the sequence of digits flashing on the door's control panel, the lights that had only just been illuminated.

Suddenly, a loud clang resonated from within the corridor.

"Hey, I thought they had gotten everyone!" Aoko shrieked in concern.

Ran took a step backward, her eyes wide. "P-perhaps it's a –"

"It's not a ghost," Conan interrupted dully as he continued to scribble in his notebook.

Kaito pointed at the control panel. "That's the hint, right?"

Conan nodded, placing his notebook back into his front pocket.

"Then I'll leave you and your girlfriend to deal with this," Kaito said coolly. "Aoko and I will investigate this noise, and afterwards we shall reunite in front of the two locked doors."

"That sounds good," Conan agreed.

As he stepped forward to leave, Kaito tossed his hat to Conan. "A token of my good will," he explained. Conan examined the flamboyant hat. Inside was Kaito's fake police uniform from earlier. "Without the uniform, I cannot disguise myself to get away once this is over." Kaito regarded Conan with admiration. "You've been very helpful tonight, just as you promised to be," Kaito continued. So consider this as assurance that I will keep my promise as well. Tonight is the night that you have captured Kaitou Kid." He grabbed Aoko's hand. "Alright, let's go check out that noise."

"Hey," Aoko protested as they rushed down the corridor, "this is hardly a two-person job, and I would probably be able to help much more if I stayed with them."

"You're so noisy," Kaito remarked brusquely.

As they passed out of earshot, Kaito turned toward Aoko with a serious face. "But seriously, isn't there something weird about that kid?"

Aoko frowned. "Not particularly, no."

"Oh come on," Kaito scoffed. "You've seen how mature he is for his age. You're just saying that to spite me."

"Not at all," Aoko replied casually. "You see, that is how normal, civilized people act. We can't all be crazy lying thieves like you." Aoko glanced toward the ceiling to ponder for a moment. "And it makes sense that even a kid could outwit Ba-Kaitou Kid."

"Hey!" Kaito interrupted, "he does not outwit me!"

"So you admit to being the Kaitou Kid?" Aoko shot back testily.

"Idiot, did you hit your head or something? I told you just a few minutes ago, when your dad showed up!"

Aoko stopped and crossed her arms. "And then you took it back and pretended it didn't happen," she argued. "Just like that other thing."

Kaito raised an eyebrow. "What other thing?"

A deep blush spread across Aoko's face. "You know..." she began nervously. "That thing you said in school, when you were acting all weird and robotic. The reason you always feel the need to give me the cold shoulder..."

Kaito stared blankly. "Seriously," he offered dryly, "I have no idea what you are talking about."

"Idiot!" Aoko shouted, thrusting a mop toward Kaito's face, "I thought you were being sincere when you said it, but then it turns out it was all just a big joke to make me embarrassed in front of everyone!"

"Aaaaaaaoko!" Kaito grabbed Aoko's shoulders to impede her arm movements. "Just tell me what it was that I said!" he commanded impatiently.

Aoko stared at the ground for a moment before turning back to Kaito. "You said you loved me," she said quietly, "as far as you could tell."

Kaito stood dumbfounded, at a loss for words for possibly the first time. "W-what on Earth are you talking about?" he stammered incredulously. "A-as far as I could tell? How is that supposed to be romantic?" He shook his head nervously. "Not like I would try to be romantic with you anyway, but..."

"I'm sorry to interrupt," a voice called out from the next room, "but if the two of you could get us out of here, we would really appreciate it…"

Kaito and Aoko exchanged nervous glances and then slowly peered into the next room. In the corner stood a tall rubbish skip, positioned beneath a wide garbage chute. Beside the bin was a staircase leading up to a platform from which one could peer into the large rubbish container. Within a moment, Aoko and Kaito climbed the stairs and looked down.

Kaito's eyes widened as he found himself facing Hakuba Saguru and Koizumi Akako, seated against the side of the bin. Of all times, why did those two need to be here? And Akako was dressed as the Kaitou Kid. Such a boxy suit certainly didn't suit her…

"Ara," Aoko suddenly exclaimed, looking from Akako to Saguru, "what are Koizumi-chan and Hakuba-kun doing here?" Her gaze fell upon a pair of handcuffs connecting their left and right wrists. "A-and," she prompted in confusion, "are you-"

"-Handcuffed together?" Akako finished, raising her wrist to eye level. "Yes. Yes we are." Akako shot a cold glance at Saguru. "Apparently, this hot-shot thought I was Kid, so he handcuffed himself to me without my realizing."

Kaito stifled a laugh. "How could you miss something like that?"

Saguru cleared his throat. "After administering the handcuffs," he began in a self-assured tone, "there were… more pressing concerns…"

"We fell into the garbage chute," Akako interrupted bluntly, "and got stuck in here."

A wide smile spread across Kaito's face. "Alright, well… Couldn't you…" He struggled to contain his laughter. "Couldn't you just unlock them now?"

Hakuba turned toward the floor with a frown.

"Apparently," Akako continued icily, enjoying the humiliation no more than Saguru, "Given your experience getting out of handcuffs, Hakuba-kun has ensured that there is no way to unlock them. We are stuck together until an appointment he has scheduled for tomorrow morning with a professional who can cut the metal."

Kaito exploded into a fit of laughter.

"It's not funny!" Saguru protested. He glanced up at Kaito's beaming face. "In any case, we don't have time for your stupid humor. We need you to help us get out of here."

"Yeah, yeah," Kaito agreed disappointedly.

* * *

Gin smiled as he lit another cigarette. "It is somewhat comical that you thought something like _that_ would do anything."

"You would be surprised," Sherry replied calmly. "You always view the world in terms of the major concepts, the major players, the major actions. Burning building, reinforced steel doors, a crowd of helpless prisoners within. You feel completely confident that they will die."

"A fairly logical decision," Gin scoffed, leaning back in his chair.

"But even the largest of beings are at the mercy of the smallest," Sherry continued, resting her hands in her lap. "A body may be infiltrated and destroyed by an unseen, microscopic virus. A building may collapse with the destruction of a single foundation. In the same way, even the smallest of things, overlooked by you, can be the undoing of your plans."

Gin laughed. "I see you still babble about unimportant topics when you should be occupied by the sensation of our proceedings," he sneered.

Sherry glared at the allusion to the past.

"Besides," Gin continued, "I'm afraid you are mistaken in thinking you know our plans. Burning a building? Don't be stupid. Killing a few criminals? Fun, but inconsequential. Don't get me wrong, the option still exists. If the building is burned and the criminals within destroyed, we consider that an added bonus. But as it stands, whether the doors are opened or not, our plans shall succeed."

Sherry opened her mouth to reply, only to find herself breathless. She crumbled to the floor, gasping for air.

Gin smiled as he pulled his fist away from the woman's abdomen. "Oh Sherry," he chided softly, "you've been away too long. It's made you weak."

Sherry fumbled for the bomb trigger. "I'll press it," she threatened. "Don't think I won't."

"Don't worry," Gin assured her. "I know you will press it. You will press it if I attempt anything while you are conscious, or it will go off automatically if your heart is stopped." Gin stood over her menacingly. "So I can see only one option that remains." He lifted his gun by the barrel, aiming to strike at Sherry's skull. "Good night, Sherry."

Suddenly, the room began to blur. Numbness crept up his legs. He had felt this before, that night at Haido City Hotel. Gin struggled to lift his gun, to blow the tranquilizer out of his leg. But his arm did not respond. It hung limply at his side. Gin blinked down at Sherry, his vision quickly fading. "Y-you..." He fell to the floor with a thud.

Sherry closed the outer casing on her watch and smiled at him. "Good night, Gin."

* * *

Kaito turned to the key panel apprehensively. "So…" he mused aloud, "any ideas?"

Aoko frowned. "Not really," she admitted. "Do you think that Conan-kun and Mouri-chan will be back soon?"

"They were only copying down the codes," Kaito reasoned. "It shouldn't be taking them this long…"

"In any case, let us attempt to get started without them," Saguru suggested.

"Good idea," Kaito agreed, adopting a serious tone. He turned to the control pad. "Alright, so we have sixteen keys, four rows by four columns. The top row from left to right is 1, 2, 3, A; the second row is 4, 5, 6, B; followed by 7, 8, 9, C; and 0, *, #, D for the last row." Kaito paused to experimentally dial several buttons on the key pad. "Furthermore," he reported, "it seems we need to enter three figures, submit, then enter five figures and submit once more."

1 2 3 A

4 5 6 B

7 8 9 C

0 * # D

(_ _ _)-(_ _ _ _ _) Submit

"Oh dear," Aoko lamented. "Then there are countless possibilities…"

Saguru nodded. "Far too many for us to try them all," he added.

"Four billion two hundred ninety-four million nine hundred sixty-seven thousand two hundred ninety-six possible combinations, to be precise."

"Thanks, Kuroba-kun," Saguru grumbled sarcastically. "We weren't discouraged enough, without that boastful comment."

"Hey! That wasn't me!" Kaito snapped, turning to face Saguru.

A young policeman stood beside them, jotting notes in a small notebook with "DB" written on the back in yellow and aqua-colored roman letters. "Ah, gomen," he apologized. "I didn't intend to discourage; I simply prefer to garner as much information as possible."

"I'm afraid those figures won't be of much use," Kaito offered disinterestedly. He dialed a sequence of numbers into the key pad experimentally. "You can mark down the combinations we try, though…"

Kaito submitted the numbers, and in response, a message appeared on the digital screen above the keypad. 2 INCORRECT ATTEMPTS. 1 ATTEMPT REMAINING BEFORE THE SYSTEM IS LOCKED.

Kaito's eyes widened. "Ah…" He bit his lip and turned to smile sheepishly at the group. "Oops."

"You idiot!" Saguru shouted. "You've used up all our guesses! The next sequence we enter needs to be the correct one, or it will completely lock us out!"

"Hey!" Kaito shot back, "It's not like I knew the attempts were limited."

Aoko crossed her arms. "Hakuba-kun is right, Kaito. You should have thought this through before blindly charging forward. Honestly, how have you been foiling my dad for so long being this clumsy?"

"Hey," Kaito retorted, glaring at Aoko, "nothing about what I do is clumsy! I perform every task with maximum skill and efficiency! I'm the best person to have in a crisis, because while all of you would stand around thinking things through, I'm taking action!" He cast an angry glance toward Saguru. "You and the detective kid can follow me, analyze my every move, and criticize my missteps, but at least I'm doing something!"

"If everyone could please calm down," the policeman interjected, "I believe we have a way to decipher this code."

A silence settled over the assembled group at the unexpected news. It was good news. But there was something about the policeman that did not seem quite… right…

Kaito assessed the man's appearance. It was normal enough, but… "Hey," he said slowly, his eyes falling on the man's notebook, "doesn't that belong to the detective kid?"

"Eh?" The young man looked down at the "DB" notebook. "Ah, yes!" he affirmed nervously. "He lent it to me!" The policeman forced an uneasy giggle.

"Wait…" Kaito strode toward the policeman and grasped the collar of his uniform between his thumb and forefinger. "This is my fake uniform," he declared with conviction. He narrowed his eyes. "Did the detective kid lend this to you as well?"

"Ah, no, you don't understand-"

"Hey!" A firm hand grabbed Kaito's shoulder. "Don't act so suspicious" Ran scolded him. "His clothes were damaged, so Conan-kun gave the police uniform to him." A blush spread across her stern face. "Unless, of course, you'd rather have him standing here naked…"

Kaito gradually released his hold on the young man's collar. "I see," he finally said, continuing to study the man.

"You can have this part of your costume back though," the man offered, holding out Kaito's top hat. He turned to Ran as the thief begrudgingly took the hat. "Did you…" His voice trailed off as he nervously turned his eyes to the floor, attempting to avoid meeting Ran's gaze. "Did you get the numbers from the south hall?"

Ran nodded, pulling a small piece of notebook paper from her pocket. "I managed to get all of them," Ran added, also avoiding eye contact as she handed it to the man.

"Hold on," Kaito cut in. "I'm sorry I keep interrupting, but…" He paused, frowning in concentration. "It's just that… You look terribly familiar… Who exactly are you?"

The young man smiled uneasily. "Well, we've never officially met," he admitted, "but we spoke earlier, and you may have seen me in the news." He cast a cursory glance at the surrounding area. "I'm trying to keep a low profile," he whispered behind his hand, "so I would need you to keep my involvement here a secret."

"Go ahead," Kaito prompted. "We won't say anything."

The young man turned back to Kaito, a confident grin on his face. "I am Kudo Shinichi, detective."

Kaito cocked his head to the side. Something was still bothering him. Something that was so terribly familiar… "So…" he prompted curiously, "you _did_ end up leaving the hospital…?"

Shinichi nodded. "Anyway," he continued quickly, flipping through his notebook, "Ran and I might have found a pattern to these door codes."

"Wha- really?"

"As we were copying down all of the door codes that had begun flashing," Ran explained, "Conan-kun became very feverish, so he went to another room to try and get his temperature down. I continued recording the sequence of each door, confirming that the sequence was indeed the door code by forcing it shut and entering the sequence. Each one successfully opened, so I was able to conclude that Seville had somehow caused the door code sequences on the open doors to flash. I went back to present all of the information to Conan-kun, but…"

Ran's voice trailed off, her face turning a deep red as she stared at the floor. "I- I swear I didn't see anything!" she insisted nervously, wringing her hands. "You- you were already behind the shelf when I entered, so…"

Shinichi's face began to turn a similar color. "Ah, well, long story short," he continued in an equally nervous tone, "my clothing was irreparably damaged, so I needed to change into Kid-san's police uniform." Shinichi paused for a moment, noticeably at odds with the current subject. "Anyway," he continued, attempting to shake off his discomfort, "I was feeling better after that was over, so now we can solve this code without any more interruptions." Shinichi glanced down at his notebook. "The door codes for the eight open doors on this level, in order from those furthest from the entrance to the closest, are as follows:

Door 1: 123-258*-0*#D

Door 2: 24-23AB9*0

Door 3: 1-A680

Door 4: 456B

Door 5: 4-2-0*963-A-A

Door 6: 257-369#C

Door 7: 56B-69#-*#D

Door 8: 456BCD#-2580-A-A"

Upon finishing, Shinichi handed the notebook to Ran. "Now that we have all of the codes together, if you could start marking the designs…"

Ran nodded and began writing in the notebook.

"Wait!" Aoko exclaimed anxiously. "Is Conan-kun still alone in that room with a fever?"

Ran glanced up from her work and exchanged a nervous glance with Shinichi. She paused, choosing an appropriate response. Suddenly, her eyes fell on Shinichi's uniform. "Ah," she finally began, "we left him with a very capable police man."

Shinichi nodded. "That's right," he affirmed. "You don't need to worry. He's in good hands." Shinichi cleared his throat. "Anyway, there's very little rhyme or reason to any of these codes," he explained, "but given that the amount of figures required for each door varies wildly, I don't think they are randomly generated. And if you observe the numbers that occur together in each required code submission, you will notice that they are all connected adjacently or diagonally. I would surmise, then, that if we were to draw lines across the keypad as directed by the number order, picking up the pencil after each indicated submission, a particular design would result…" Shinichi trailed off and glanced toward Ran.

"Just a second," Ran said hurriedly, scribbling furiously. As she finished marking the paper, Ran held it up for the other teenagers to see. "They seem to be katakana* characters," she observed.

* * *

Door # Code Resulting katakana Pronunciation (roughly approximated)

1 123-258*-0*#D エ e (as in hey)

2 24-23AB9*0 ク coo (as in cool)

3 1-A680 ン n (as in pan)

4 456B ー Elongates preceding vowel sound

5 4-2-0*963-A-A ジ jea (as in jeans)/ge (as in genie)

6 257-369#C ル r/loo (as in kangaroo)

7 56B-69#-*#D ェ e (as in hey)

8 456BCD#-2580-A-A ガ ga (as in gall, rhymes with ball)

* * *

Saguru stepped forward to closer inspect Ran's sketches. "That is indeed true," he agreed, "but if they are meant to construe a message, they appear to be out of order.

Kaito nodded, scanning the paper. "This straight horizontal bar from the 456B code on the fourth door would be a mark to draw out the preceding character's vowel sound, so it cannot follow the ン ('n as in pan) character of the third door."

Ran set the paper on the ground and pulled out her pencil. The group knelt down, continuing to pour over the code.

"The エ (e as in hey) character occurs twice," Shinichi observed, "in the first and seventh door codes. Except it is smaller in the seventh, indicating that it is a glide character that follows another character to alter that character's ending vowel sound to its own." He paused to study the available characters. "And it appears that the only character it can follow from is ジ (jea as in jeans), together forming ジェ (ja as in jade)"

He began marking the order of the letters with the pencil. "Door 7 follows Door 5 absolutely, and Door 4 cannot follow Door 3." He paused to consider the letters. "And the ン ('n as in pan) character of Door 3 would most likely not be followed by the vowel sound of エ (e as in hey) on Door 1, either."

The group was silent for a moment.

"But where do we go from there?" Kaito wondered.

Shinichi paused to consider the situation. "エ (e as in hey), ク (coo as in cool), ン ('n as in pan), an elongated vowel, ジェ (ja as in jade), ル (roo as in roof), and ガ (ga as in gall, rhymes with ball)…" A sudden thought struck him.

Shinichi's eyes widened and he bent over the characters. "I see…" he reflected slowly. "It's not just that person. That woman has also arranged for our escape, but only on the condition that Kudo Shinichi and Mouri Ran be present…"

"Hey, what the heck are you talking about?" Kaito asked bluntly.

Shinichi stood up. "I know the code," he said slowly, striding toward the door. "It alternates, with the odd-numbered doors forming one message, and the even-numbered doors forming another… If we order the odd-numbered and even-numbered doors together, then we have the two separate words "エンジェ (Ā-n-jā)" and "クールガ (Kū – rū-Gaw)". The codes for the ninth and tenth doors will provide the last character for the two words respectively."

"But how do we know the character that finishes either word?" Kaito posited. "If these words are foreign names, then they could pretty much end with anything. And the possibility still stands that, although these are all katakana characters, they don't form real words at all."

"That's certainly true," Shinichi agreed, standing before the key pad. "But you say that this code requires three characters, and then five, right? In that case, only one answer remains."

The group crowded around as Shinichi reached toward the control pad. He dialed 257, submit, 369#C, submit, forming the character for ル (r/loo). The door flew open, and the group stood gobsmacked.

"H-hey," Kaito ventured, recovering from his momentary surprise, "do you know the next one too?"

Shinichi nodded, turning his head sideways to face Kaito with a smug grin. "It's elementary," he confessed in a wavering voice, "Kid-san." Suddenly, he fell forward onto his hands and knees, coughing violently.

"It's open!" someone shouted from within the room.

Almost immediately, the people of the crowded lobby surged toward the door, pushing past Shinichi as he panted heavily in a crumbled heap on the floor.

"Hey, stay back!" Nakamori barked, pushing himself to the front of the crowd. "There's one more door left to be opened!" A few officers forced themselves to the front and attempted to control the crowd.

Ran weaved nimbly through the crowd and knelt down beside Shinichi. She steadily propped him up in a seated position against the wall and leaned against his trembling body so that her lips hovered just over his ear. "Can I leave you here for a minute?" she whispered quietly.

Shinichi nodded weakly. "The final character…" He winced in pain. "It's イ (ee as in tree)."

Ran nodded and pulled herself to her feet. She strode forward confidently, pushing through the buzzing crowd toward the final door. She extended her right hand toward the keypad. 456A, submit, 6#. The final door, that connected the fiery inner chamber to the outside world, the door that had separated fifty-two people from the world of the living, slid open.


	17. Pandora's Building: The Case Resolved?

Hey everyone, this chapter is short, but sweet. I'm going to start updating chapters on a regular basis again, so I hope that's good news to you guys. :) On an unrelated note, I'm going to be at FanimeCon 2011 in San Jose, California (USA), the 27th to the 30th of May. I know there's very little chance that any of you are going, but if anyone is, I would love to meet fellow Detective Conan fans! I'm cosplaying as Conan (haha, of course).

* * *

"I keep telling you, it wasn't us!"

"If you want your defense to hold any water, I am going to need more information than that," Nakamori replied testily.

"It was that Masuyama guy!" the man insisted. "Masuyama… Kenzo! He's the one who set us up."

Inspector Nakamori's attention was diverted as a police officer handed him a stack of papers for review. After surveying the paperwork, he glanced back up at the man. "Unfortunately, it looks like your guy has been dead for a few months. In what way exactly was he involved?"

"He is the one who told us about that gem," the man attempted to explain. "So we… umm…"

"So you came here in great numbers, with illegal weapons, to steal the gem?" Nakamori finished. "I am afraid that you are all at fault here, and not some guy who simply told you about a gem you happened to want."

"It is true that they are in the wrong," Kaito interrupted, "but aside from these guys trying to steal a gem, I think there were more sinister forces at work…"

Nakamori turned slowly to deliver a stern glare to Kaito. "We will get to you in a minute," he growled. "Space is limited due to the amount of people we have here, but I'll thank you to remain silent until we are done here."

"Whatever," Kaito replied lazily, rolling his eyes. "Not like I can go anywhere anyway."

Aoko stifled a giggle at the sight of Kaito. Although the young man was behind bars in the holding cell, he had also been wrapped from head to toe in countless rolls of duct tape, and he was further taped down onto the bench in his cell so that he could do nothing but lie on his back. "But it's true, dad," Aoko insisted, turning from the thief to prevent herself from laughing. "That boss guy is at the hospital now, but he can attest to it as well. There was a foreign woman on the top floor, and it sounded as though she was responsible for the fire."

"A foreign woman?" Shinichi stood up from his seat, clutching his side in pain. "Hey, what did she look like?"

Kaito craned his neck toward an Emergency Medical Technician who was passing through the room to reach the holding cells in the back of the station. "Would you guys _please_ take this guy back to the hospital," Kaito requested in annoyance. "He's obviously not well."

The EMT sighed and glanced at Shinichi. "Would you like us to take you to the hospital?" he asked wearily.

"No, no," Shinichi replied quickly. "I am fine. But if I could go home, to get some rest-"

"It's like I said," Nakamori interrupted. "You can either stay here with us at the station, or you can go to the hospital and remain under supervision there. We cannot release anyone until we've sorted this mess out."

"Hey!" Suzuki Jirokichi burst into the office. "I heard that the Vinyl Crystal was retrieved?"

"Alright, just give us a minute to sort everything out," Nakamori replied coolly.

"Nee, the woman," Shinichi repeated.

Aoko paused, considering the question. "Actually," she began, "it was kind of funny. I thought she looked a bit like…"

"Crystal…Vinyl…" a policeman read aloud from a clipboard, holding a green gem out to Jirokichi. "Interesting name," he remarked.

"Yeah, that's it," Aoko suddenly exclaimed. "Chris Vineyard, that foreign actress."

Shinichi froze.

"Hey," Kaito called out from his cell, "are you trying to say that a movie star was tonight's culprit? Come on, Ahou-ko. The guy is a serious detective."

"Nobody asked you, Ba-Kaito!" Aoko shot back.

The office door swung open. "Alright, we've rounded up some investigators from our department," a police detective announced. "so we can take a couple off of your hands."

Nakamori heaved a sigh of relief as he stood up to greet the detective. "We really appreciate this," he offered, handing the officer a file. "Feel free to take whoever you like, besides him" – Nakamori pointed toward Kaito in his cell – "our department has been waiting a long time to get a hold of this guy…"

The detective laughed nervously. "Yeah," he agreed, placing his hand on the back of his neck. "He's impersonated me before as well, so I am familiar with the feeling." He glanced toward the front of the office to survey the group of teenagers seated there. Suddenly, his eyes widened. He rushed toward the group.

"Sh-Shinichi-kun…?" he asked in disbelief, staring down at the young detective seated beside Ran. "I-I-I…so… well- you?"

"Ah, Takagi-keiji," Shinichi offered with a forced smile. He turned to the side to cough into his hand. As he returned his gaze to Takagi, his smile had been replaced by a pained grimace.

"We'll take these two off your hands!" Takagi announced quickly, gesturing toward Ran and Shinichi. "I'll be back in a few minutes to relieve you of a few more," he added.

Nakamori nodded and held his hand up in acknowledgment. He returned his attention to the participant whom he had been questioning as Takagi ushered Shinichi and Ran out of the office.

"Takagi-san," Ran began as they strode down the hall, "we can come back tomorrow for questioning, but right now-"

"I understand," Takagi assured her. He glanced sideways at Shinichi. "You're sick again, right?" He paused for a moment, watching Shinichi, and then turned his gaze forward once more. "I'll take you two home for now." He laughed nervously. "After all, I think we've worked with you two long enough to know that you are not suspects in this case."

Shinichi nodded. "I guess you're right," he laughed.

* * *

"And everyone was successfully evacuated from the building," the news reporter concluded.

"Thank goodness," Sonoko whispered. She heard the young man beside her breathe a sigh of relief. Sonoko ended the news playback on her phone and gingerly placed it back inside her bag. She then glanced shyly at her companion. "Th-thanks for saving me," she offered uncertainly.

"N-no," the young man replied quickly, taking a step back, "you owe me no gratitude. It was all bad luck for you, really. Being in the wrong place at the wrong time. By some strange twist of fate, I was in the right place at the right time. I was placed in a situation in which I was capable of saving you, and therefore it was my responsibility to do so."

Sonoko blushed. _So cool!_ she thought to herself.

"But I guess it still wasn't really luck on my end," the young man continued, "seeing as how I was unable to help anyone else…"

"No, it was definitely luck!" Sonoko insisted readily. "When the part of the building on which I was standing began folding upward, by some silly instinct I got down on all fours and grabbed onto the folding roof instead of rushing into the center." She closed her eyes, remembering her terror from earlier. "As the roof folded more, I found myself hanging upside down, far too high above the floor at that point to jump down. So I climbed on top of the roof, and then it sealed shut, leaving me on the very tip of that monstrous building." Sonoko shivered and then glanced toward her companion. "So I am really, really, thankful that you were climbing the outside of the building with a rope at that time."

Her companion laughed. "I guess you're right," he admitted good naturedly. He glanced around the park in which they sat, dark and lonely in the still night. "Well, I should probably walk you home," he decided.

Sonoko leapt to her feet. "Ah, no!" she exclaimed quickly. "Actually, I have a boyfriend, and it's not like I'm not grateful, because I definitely am, but I just don't want you to get the wrong impression…"

The young man shook his head nervously. "Ah, no, I didn't mean anything either," he insisted. "I just thought, it's night, and I need to make sure you get home safe." He stood up and stretched. _So tall!_ Sonoko noted to herself. The young man was at least twenty centimeters taller than she. "Shall we go?" he asked.

Sonoko nodded.

* * *

"Alright, I had better get back to the office," Takagi called out the driver side window. "I'll see you two later!"

Shinichi and Ran waved as the police detective drove away. Then, silently, they turned and climbed the stairs. Shinichi paused outside the door and turned to Ran.

"Y-you're not coming in?"

Shinichi shook his head. "There's no telling how long I will stay like this, so there is no way I could sleep on Conan-kun's bed, since it's in Occhan's room…"

Ran winced at the thought. "Well-"

"Plus, I don't have any clothes here," Shinichi added. "It wouldn't do for me to sleep on a couch or mat in this dirty police uniform…"

Ran smiled politely and moved closer to Shinichi. She reached forward and took his hands in hers. "I…" Ran stared carefully at the hands, tracing the outlines of Shinichi's palm. "I don't want you to feel uncomfortable," Ran said slowly, "but after everything that's happened…" Her eyes slowly crept up Shinichi's body until she met his gaze.

In Ran's eyes was everything she had been suppressing. Everything she had been hiding from Conan. Months of heartache she had borne without complaint; endless nights of sobbing, waiting, wishing; her unfathomable concern, her fear for Shinichi's safety; her unwavering commitment without a shred of hope, without any reassurance, without any help, without any comfort… "If you go now," Ran whispered slowly, "would I ever see you again?"

Shinichi inwardly flinched at the thought. It was a logical question, but one even he could not answer. Would he ever be with her again, as Shinichi? And even then, what words could possibly reassure Ran, when this had happened so many times before? Each time, he had told Ran to wait for him. Just wait. It will be better later.

How could he repeat such an empty promise? There was no guarantee that the situation would ever be resolved. His temporary antidote was still temporary. He was not cured. The Black Organization was still at large. How long could he expect Ran to wait? Months, years… forever?

The night was still and cold. The sky was dark. And everything was silent. Shinichi felt his hands in Ran's. They were warm. He was here. In this moment, at this time, he was here. With Ran.

A rustle of cloth, the calm patter of rain on the pavement. The sweet smell of the moistened ground hung in the air, and a gentle wind played a silent melody through the trees. Clouds dissipated in the sky, and the evening stars bathed the area in a soft glow, casting a single shadow on the ground. The single shadow of a love's embrace, enveloped in the light of the darkness, the sensation of the stillness, and the noise of the silence.

Shinichi brushed his thumb tenderly across Ran's cheek, and slowly closed the distance between his and Ran's lips. They met uncertainly, each of them advancing and retreating nervously until they finally came together, in a simultaneous surge of assurance.

Warm, and soft. Her lips tasted sweet, like the ever-blooming orchids for which she was named. She trembled slightly, and then ventured further, sucking gently on his bottom lip. He slowly closed his lips around hers, and they were still for a minute, their flesh pressed against one another, the warmth spreading from their shared space, the hearts racing in their chests.

And gradually, they pulled away. Shinichi gazed into Ran's eyes, and she into his. They stood watching one another, the warmth of their breath filling the air with clouds of vapor.

Shinichi pulled Ran in closer, wrapping his arms tightly around her. He could feel her heart beating against his. "I- I'm here with you, Ran," Shinichi said quietly. "If you'll have me, I will stay by your side, forever and always."

Tears flowed freely down Ran's face, and she quickly attempted to wipe them away. She opened her mouth to respond, but her words caught in her throat. Unable to respond, she embraced Shinichi tighter.

They were still for a moment. Then Shinichi slowly released Ran, catching sight of her tears for the first time. He brushed a tear away from Ran's eye. "'Taku, I guess I really _don't_ understand a woman's heart," he lamented. "Here I thought saying that would make you happy."

Ran laughed, wiping the tears from her face. "O-Of course not," she finally replied. She smiled. "Taking care of my dad is bad enough – I don't need two lazy detectives relying on me!"

Shinichi winced. "Oh, I'm sorry," he said quickly, turning on his heel. "I'll just go home then…"

Ran pulled Shinichi toward the door. "Nope! You're not allowed!"

Shinichi smiled and quietly opened the door. Ran tiptoed inside, and Shinichi followed. They tread softly across the main room, passing quietly into Ran's room. Ran clicked on her desk light to grant them a modest amount of visibility. Shinichi stood in the doorway as Ran dug through her closet. In a moment, she emerged with a pink women's bathrobe, and handed it to Shinichi.

"That one's a bit big on me," she explained quietly, "so you can shower and then put that on."

Shinichi glanced at the robe in embarrassment. "Um, well… Maybe I don't need to shower…" he reflected nervously. "How about you take a shower and I will wait for you?"

Ran sighed. "I guess it's the same with all little boys," she commented mockingly. "They never want to wash up."

"You're terrible," Shinichi shot back. "That's a sensitive topic."

Ran rolled her eyes. "Alright, I wasn't going to say anything," she began, positioning herself behind Shinichi and pushing him toward the bathroom, "but you really stink, like burnt rubber, or acetone, or something like that."

Shinichi allowed himself to be pushed into the bathroom, carrying the bathrobe under his arm with a sheepish grin on his face. "Alright, alright," he agreed. "But given that insult, there may not be any hot water left when I'm done…"

A wide smile spread across Ran's face. "Well," she began sweetly, "if the shower is running too long, it may wake up my dad. And then I'm sure he'd be happy to explain to you the importance of conserving hot water… Oh no, wait. That would be for Conan-kun. For you… You'd probably have to run away as fast as you could."

Shinichi laughed uneasily; he was all too aware of the likelihood of the scenario. "Fair point," he agreed, closing the door in humble defeat.

* * *

"Sir!" A policeman rushed toward Nakamori. "They've traced the virus used to infect Kita's system _and_ the command to set off explosives in the building back to the mobile phone of one of the men in our custody."

"Great!" Nakamori exclaimed with enthusiasm. "Get the reports to me as soon as…" He trailed off, and then turned to the policeman. "How did you guys find that out?"

The policeman nodded toward a television screen at the back of the office. Nakamori strode closer to view the screen. It seemed to be a webcam feed from a hospital wing, focused on the bed of a hospital patient…

"Hello," the patient offered in a shy voice, bringing her face close to the camera. It was Kichida Kita, the developer of the security system.

"Kichida-san!" Nakamori shouted in bewilderment. "How are you?"

"I'm fine," Kita assured him, bowing humbly. "It turns out those guys just wanted me to be asleep for a few hours, but upon awakening, I have wasted no time in tracking down our culprits." Kita turned the webcam around to show a vast amount of technological equipment around her bed. "I had everything brought over here from my office," she explained, "and I've been analyzing everything that happened."

"And…?" Nakamori entreated.

"Well…" Kita glanced at a screen on her lap. "as I said earlier, we traced the virus and bomb commands back to the mobile device of Takahashi Mamoru. He's one of the guys you are holding, and he has an extensive background in crime. As we dug a bit further, we found this man and his fellow captives are connected by a common underground network. It appears to be some sort of gang, or organization. We'll give you a more thorough report tomorrow, but for now, my best guess is that these guys planned to use their control of the building and the explosives to produce a hostage situation, with the nine kids in there. From there they probably planned to use this leverage to make demands of the city for money, or whatever else they might have wanted." Kita paused, glancing at another screen, and then she turned back to the camera. "Unfortunately for these guys," she continued, "my security system gave them a bit more than they bargained for, and it ended up trapping them in there as well, giving them a taste of their own medicine."

"That's tragic," Nakamori reflected. He turned toward the screen. "But that sounds like a perfectly reasonable speculation on your part. Make sure you get all the details to our office, and we'll let you know how everything turns out."

Kita nodded. She reached toward the camera, and the transmission ended.

* * *

"That sure took a while," Officer Hashimoto remarked as Takagi entered the office.

"Yeah," Takagi agreed wearily. "It's pretty chaotic over there…"

"I'll bet," Hashimoto agreed. He paused for a moment, studying Takagi. "You know," he entreated, "I heard that the Edogawa kid from this afternoon was also helping out with the situation over at the building."

"Yeah, that's right," Takagi agreed, glancing over the files on his desk.

"That boy has been working so hard all day," Hashimoto commented smoothly. "We should probably go interview him really quickly so that we can send him home."

Takagi paused for a moment, considering the suggestion. Then he smiled and offered an apologetic laugh. "Actually," he decided, turning to Hashimoto, "I think he has already gone home."

Hashimoto stood still for a moment. "Hmm, what a pity," he finally concluded. "Of course, he will be coming back in here tomorrow, to give his testimony on the Tropical Land case."

Takagi yawned disinterestedly. "Yep," he agreed mid-yawn. "Oh, that reminds me." Takagi turned sleepily toward Hashimoto. "Did you submit that bottle for evidence? The case was solved so quickly, I had almost forgotten about it. It wasn't important, but we should probably turn it in anyway."

Hashimoto cast a puzzled glance toward Takagi. "What bottle?"

Takagi laughed nervously. "Ah, well, it was probably nothing," he assured Hashimoto, "but remember that bottle you picked up today, in the stall next to the deceased Ito-san?"

Hashimoto was still for a moment, and then suddenly he slapped his head mockingly. "Oh!" he exclaimed. "Yes!" he affirmed. "I did submit that bottle. Nothing funny about it though. Just some ordinary sleeping pills."

Takgai nodded. "Great!" he replied quickly. He looked bashful. "I'm sorry if it seemed like I was undermining your abilities," he offered. "I'm just looking out for you. After that one time, you know, it would be bad if you missed something important again."

Hashimoto nodded slowly. "Yes," he said. "From now on, I need to take my job very seriously."


	18. Revelations and Awkward Situations

Hey everyone. After an incredibly long day for the characters, it's finally time to sleep. I introduced some flashbacks during the time they are sleeping, so you can think of them as dreams/flashbacks. I hope it doesn't come across as lazy writing. :(

* * *

The door slowly opened and Ran stepped out, patting her hair dry with a towel. Her cheeks were flushed, and a cloud of steam billowed from the room in her wake. Baggy pajama bottoms swished across the tops of her feet, and water from her hair dripped down the back of her silky tank top.

Shinichi stood up as she approached. Ran collected a hair brush from her vanity and seated herself on her bed, her legs crossed. She was silent for a moment, studying Shinichi.

"Well, I'll let you get some rest," Shinichi announced. He began walking toward the door.

"Not so fast," Ran called out, stopping the young detective.

Shinichi turned around nervously.

"I think you would agree that I have been a pretty good sport about all of this," Ran began calmly, "but in light of recent developments, I'm not going to just shrug my shoulders and forget all of this."

Shinichi sighed. "It…" He paused. "It's so complicated, I don't know if I can-"

"Maybe I am asking too much," Ran suggested, examining her nails in an attempt to feign indifference, "that I want a few answers after being dragged through another case, getting trapped inside a burning building, becoming acquainted with a woman contemplating murder, coming face to face with the resulting dead body, watching my best friend start her deduction show –" Ran paused, narrowing her eyes – "only to discover that she had been tranquilized, and that Conan-kun was talking into a voice-changing bow tie to mimic her voice."

Shinichi frowned slightly. "Wait, how did you see-"

"And arriving at the realization," Ran continued, ignoring Shinichi's question, "that my father, of whom I had become so proud, because he had lifted himself out of his depression and begun solving cases as soon as Conan-kun had come to live with us, was nothing more than a deception. This entire time, the Sleeping Kogoro has been an actual SLEEPING Kogoro. God, I'm surprised nobody noticed. I'm surprised I didn't notice!"

"H-hey, Ran, hold on-"

"And what mystery otaku would be so obsessive that he would go to such lengths just to solve mysteries? Well, how about the otaku whom Conan resembles down to the very last detail, with the love of Holmes, and soccer. The otaku whom I have known my entire life, and who therefore cannot pass himself off as anyone else without resorting to the most creative of deceptions…" Ran sighed, shaking her head. "You know, it's funny," she said quietly. "I knew it."

"W-what?"

"I knew it," Ran repeated. "From day one, I knew. How could I not?" Ran drew her legs in to her chest and hugged them tightly. "But- but then you convinced me otherwise, right? With the phone calls, and the Conan doppelganger during the school play... And as the months dragged by, and you didn't say anything… Well, I thought to myself, this couldn't be Shinichi." Ran leaned forward and began twisting a bit of her blanket in her hands. "Because Shinichi would not do this. He would not trick me like this…" Ran gripped the blanket tightly, avoiding Shinichi's gaze. "A-and as long as Conan-kun could continue tricking me, then I didn't need to worry." Ran dropped the blanket, a sullen expression on her face. "Because he would not lie. Not my Shinichi…"

Shinichi stepped further into the room. "R-Ran, please don't be upset…" Ran continued to avoid his gaze, staring intently at her bed. Shinichi stepped closer to Ran, and then leaned back uncertainly, as if he had crossed a forbidden border. He stood frozen for a moment, unsure of how to proceed. Slowly, he sat down beside Ran. "Ran…" He swallowed nervously. "You were the first person I thought of," he said slowly, "the first person whom I wanted to tell… back when it happened."

Ran crossed her arms. "And yet this is the first I've heard of this," she countered quickly.

Shinichi winced. "Ah, well…" He watched Ran. She was motionless, her eyes cast forward. She was angry. She was hurt... He could hardly blame her. He had tricked her, and he had lied to her. She had only concealed her emotions until this point because they had been forced under dire circumstances.

But the issue still remained. The confrontation. The confrontation he had always feared. Perhaps this was the real reason he had hidden so long from Ran? For fear of the confrontation. He had been so disoriented that night. Everything was upside down. His entire world… And Agasa had told him to keep it a secret. He agreed. Heck, he would have agreed to anything at the time.

And even as he walked home with Ran, he knew there was no reason to keep the secret from her. As they reached the Mouri Detective Agency, he had attempted to establish the truth. But… His words had caught in his throat. At the time, it was more embarrassment than anything else. Ran would surely see Shinichi in a different light if he were a seven-year-old boy whom she was caring for…

But as time went on, it was more than that. He had gone so long deceiving Ran. How could he ever reveal the truth, after so long?

If he could undo what he had done today… If he could negate that small mistake, as he had done so many times in the past, that one clue he had released so carelessly… Would he do it? To put everything back to the way it was. The fragile balance that he had maintained for so many months.

But it would not solve anything. It was only prolonging the inevitable. Prolonging the confrontation for a different day. Continuing to deceive Ran, only for a few more days without her grief. But… No. Ran would grieve all the same. The entire situation had troubled her from the beginning. Her concern for Shinichi could not be quelled, and he could not undo his ridiculous pleas for her attention. He had continually asked her to wait for him, he had forbidden Eisuke from pursuing her, he had even gone so far as to confess his love to her… Such selfish acts. They had not helped Ran. He had only prevented her from being able to move on. He had striven to keep Ran for himself, when he would not even be there for her…

Shinichi reached for Ran's hand. She shook at his touch, but continued looking forward.

"Ran," he finally began, studying her hand, "this is not something for which I can be forgiven. What I have done… Well, it has obviously hurt you, and although I deluded myself into thinking that my intentions were noble…" Shinichi sighed heavily. "They were not."

Ran turned her head slightly, glancing in the direction of Shinichi without making eye contact.

"I don't deserve any sort of kindness from you," Shinichi continued, "and yet you have given me so much. I-I want to thank you for that, and I want to tell you everything."

Ran turned toward the young man beside her.

Shinichi took a deep breath. "Do you remember when we went to Tropical Land?"

* * *

...

* * *

"A-and… I think that's everything…" Shinichi paused, struggling to fight the weariness that was quickly overwhelming his senses. He had not truly divulged everything about the case, but some secrets were not his to reveal.

Silence descended over the dark room. The two lay on their backs, their eyes fixed on the ceiling above, and their hands connected in the space between their bodies. They were silent, motionless, suspended in their own thoughts as more and more time passed.

"I… I understand…" Ran finally announced. It was the first thing she had said since the explanation had begun. "I'm not happy… But I understand…" Ran sighed. "Maybe I'll… beat you up for it… in the morning."

"Okay…" Shinichi replied. "I'll… be looking forward to it…"

Ran rolled onto her side so that she faced Shinichi. "Hey Shinichi?" she mumbled lazily.

Shinichi turned toward her. "…Yeah?"

"Does…" Ran yawned. "Does anyone else know?"

"Y-yeah…"

"Mmmm… I'll have to… punch you for that too…"

"Uh-huh… Mm…mmkay…"

* * *

"Mommy and daddy are going to a big party. But you're a big boy, right? Already five years old… You'll be alright on your own, yes?"

He nodded reluctantly.

"Good! Now, we won't be back until next week, so if you need anything, Professor Agasa is right next door."

He frowned. "N-next week?"

"Oh dear, don't you remember? Daddy needs to attend a book signing, so after the VIP party, we need to fly out to the states. But don't worry! We'll be back soon enough."

Shinichi stood on the staircase. "You go to a lot of parties."

Yusaku smiled and patted Shinichi on the head. "It's because we are famous," he explained. "When people are famous, everyone wants to meet them. So they invite the famous people to their parties and conventions, for that chance."

Shinichi cocked his head. "Does everyone like famous people?

Yukiko giggled and kneeled down. "That's right, Shin-chan!" she answered cheerfully. "People like famous people because they are cool, or smart, or good at sports. But you know," she stipulated quickly, holding up her index finger, "that will all come as long as you're a good kid! Can you promise me that you will be good?"

Shinichi nodded. "I promise!"

Yusaku held the door open and his wife stepped out, blowing a kiss to Shinichi. "We'll see you later, sport," he called out as he closed the door.

"Bye."

Shinichi sat down, and opened a picture book. "Detective Cat, Chapter One…"

* * *

"Agasa-hakase, what does this say?"

"W-what is this, kanji?" Agasa grabbed the book. "Sherlock Holmes? You're too young to read this!"

"B-but I already finished all my 'Detective Cat' books…"

"Hey, Shinichi…" Agasa laid his hand gently on the young boy's shoulder. "Why don't you go play with other kids your age?"

Shinich turned to the ground. "I don't want-" He brightened suddenly. "Nee, Agasa-hakase, am I cool or smart?"

"What? Umm… It's hard to say…"

"Am I good at sports?"

"Well, uh…" Agasa surveyed the pile of equipment strewn across his floor. "Ah!" He picked up a soccer ball. "How about you kick this around, and find out?"

* * *

"Hey, give it back! I'm practicing!"

The group of boys laughed. "Practicing what? Being terrible at soccer?" One of the boys stepped forward and kicked him to the ground.

Shinichi scrambled back his feet, ignoring the pain radiating throughout his body. "It-It's not even my ball, so you need to give it back!"

The largest of the boys kicked him again, this time in the stomach. He doubled over in pain.

"If it's not even yours, then you won't mind if I take it." The boys roared with laughter.

"Hey!"

The boys turned toward the noise. A young girl stood before the group, her hands on her hips.

"That's his ball, right? Please give it back to him."

The boys snickered. The largest boy regarded the young girl with amusement. "Why?"

"That's his ball," she reasoned. "You can't take it, or you'll be stealing. My daddy works for the police, so I can tell him you stole the ball, and then the police will come and arrest you!"

The largest boy gave the girl a puzzled look. Several of his friends began to glance around nervously. After a pause, he threw the ball over Shinichi's head. "I didn't want it anyway," he grunted. He beckoned to his group and they began to walk away.

After they had gone, the young girl turned to Shinichi. "You can get your ball now," she offered.

Shinichi glanced in the direction of his ball; it had only just stopped rolling across the grass. He turned back to the girl. "The police wouldn't come," he said quietly.

"Heh?"

"The police," Shinichi repeated. "They wouldn't come for a lousy ball. They have all kinds of big cases to work on. You'd have to be pretty stupid to believe that."

The girl frowned. "You're mean. That's probably why those kids didn't like you."

"Yeah, it's because I'm not famous yet."

"What?"

"My mommy told me that everyone likes you if you are famous. That's why I'm going to practice really hard to be cool, smart, and good at sports. Those are the things that make you famous. Then I'll be famous, and then everyone will like me."

The girl laughed. "You're funny."

* * *

"Okay, I'll be right there!" Yusaku turned to Shinichi. "Alright, it looks like we will have to go to the store another day. They want me to help them with another case."

Shinichi nodded. "That's okay."

His father rushed toward the crime scene. Shinichi stuffed his hands in his pockets and began wandering leisurely around the area. He was used to this. He just needed to find something to occupy his time, until his father was done. He spied a shiny marble on the ground. Lucky! He bent down to retrieve it.

"Oh! Do you want to play with me?" a young girl asked.

"Eh?" He turned to see the same girl from the park, sitting on the ground with several round beads strewn over the ground before her. "What are you doing here?" he asked.

"My dad is working on a case," the girl replied. "He's a police man, so I need to wait until he is done." She regarded Shinichi. "What are you doing here?"

"My dad is working on the case too. He's not even a police man, but everyone wants his help because he's really smart."

"Oh, cool… So, do you want to play?"

"Um… Okay, but I don't know how to play."

"It's okay," the girl giggled. "I'll teach you." She picked up a bead and placed it onto a bit of thread. "See, you just put the string through the hole, and once you have a bunch of them on, then you tie it, and it becomes a piece of jewelry." She handed Shinichi a piece of string.

Shinichi began threading the beads. "Th-thank you for helping me, last week in the park… And… I'm sorry I called you stupid."

The girl stopped threading for a moment, and then smiled. "It's okay. I knew the police wouldn't come. I just said that to make those boys go away, so I knew I wasn't really stupid." The girl studied her beaded thread. "I'm going to make this into a necklace for my mommy. Will you give that to your mommy too?"

Shinichi shook his head. "My mommy is on vacation, so I won't see her again until next month." He turned to the girl. "I know! I'll make a necklace for you!"

"Okay!" the girl agreed excitedly. "Hey, do you want to be friends?"

Shinichi nodded silently. He had never had a friend before.

"I'm Mouri Ran," the girl said. "Pleased to meet you."

* * *

There was a loud knock at the door.

"Hey, Ran, is the brat in there?"

Ran opened her eyes sleepily. It must be morning… Ugh, why did it have to come so soon?

"He didn't sleep in his bed last night, and this policeman needed to ask him some questions."

That was her father, behind the door. Thank goodness she had that lock.

"Yeah, I'm in here occhan!" Shinichi's voice suddenly called out.

Ran's eyes widened and she bolted upright. Beside her was Shinichi, and it seemed he had just awoken as well. And he had just said…

"R-Ran?" Kogoro's voice called out. "Is there someone in there?"

Shinichi's eyes widened as the realization dawned on him that he was not Conan. He began searching desperately for his bow tie, and in his mad rush, he tumbled out of the bed.

"Ran?" Kogoro repeated with concern at the sudden noise.

"Ah, no problem in here!" Ran shouted quickly, pointing Shinichi toward the bow tie on her desk. "Conan and I were just… uh… playing…" Shinichi turned to her, his eyes wide and blush spreading across his face at the implications. "Ah, no!" Ran countered. "Not playing! I was umm… helping him with homework!"

"That didn't sound like the brat," Kogoro commented. He began jiggling the doorknob. "Ran, what's going on?"

"No, she was just helping me with my homework!" Conan's voice assured him. "I'm kind of thirsty, so my throat is kind of hoarse, you see…"

"Alright, well you need to get out here and talk to the policeman," Kogoro continued, seemingly satisfied with the explanation.

"No, he can't!" Ran exclaimed. "B-Because…" She glanced around the room, attempting to find an explanation.

"Because I'm naked!" Conan's voice explained.

Kogoro was silent for a moment. "W-well we're all guys out here," he said finally. "Just have him throw on some clothes and then let us in."

"No, I can't!" Ran said again. "B-Because… um… I'm naked too!"

The silence stretched on for a minute. "Y-you're naked in there together…?" Kogoro finally asked. "That… umm…" He was at a loss for words.

"It's okay, occhan!" Conan assured him. "We've bathed together before, so it's not like…" Suddenly Shinichi caught himself, and turned nervously toward Ran. "Ah, um, oops…"

Ran's face twisted in embarrassment as she realized the extent of her interactions with Conan. "We…we did… and… you…" Her shocked expression faded into a glare. "Conan-kuuuuun…" she growled.

"Ah, no, remember, Ran-neechan," Conan's voice protested, "I tried really hard to talk you out of it, but…"

"We'll be downstairs in the office," Kogoro interrupted. "Get the brat sorted out as soon as you can and send him down."

Ran and Shinichi grew silent, listening to the sound of the footsteps as they faded away. After a moment, Shinichi sank to the floor with a sigh.

"That was close," he remarked plainly.

Ran frowned. Her frustration had not yet subsided. "Shinichi…" she hissed accusingly, "you… you're… ugh!" She sighed and sank to the floor beside him. "You're so infuriating," she said with a wry smile. "I don't know why I like you."

A sly grin crept up Shinichi's face. "Maybe it's because I'm famous," he suggested. "Everyone likes you when you're famous."

Ran clapped Shinichi over the head. "Baka! We've been over this before. That's the dumbest logic in the world."

Shinichi laughed. "Yeah, I know."

Ran jumped to her feet. "Okay, they obviously can't meet with Conan right now, so we need to get you out of here without them noticing."

Shinichi nodded. "But I can't go outside like this…" Shinichi gestured toward the pink bathrobe he wore. "It's just a bit too conspicuous."

"You can borrow some of my dad's clothes," Ran offered. She strode to her door and opened it cautiously. After peering down the hallway, she opened the door fully, and beckoned to Shinichi. They crept silently into Kogoro's room. "Alright," Ran whispered, opening the bottom drawer, "here are the shirts… What?"

There was nothing inside the drawer. Ran tried another. It was empty. Shinichi tried another drawer. Empty. Empty. They were all empty.

"He can't be wearing all of his clothes at once!"

"Maybe they're all dirty…?" Shinichi suggested.

Ran nodded. "Let's check the laundry."

They began making their way to the laundry room, but as they passed through the main room, they realized that there was no need to continue. Countless towels and bed sheets covered the floor, as did all of Kogoro's clothing.

"W-what on Earth?" Ran exclaimed.

Shinichi stepped gingerly over the floor. "They're wet," he observed. "It looks like Occhan tried putting out a fire, only to end up flooding the main room. He used towels, sheets, and his own clothes in an attempt to dry the floor…"

Ran smacked her forehead in embarrassment. "Oh gosh, I tell him to make dinner, and he almost burns the house down," she lamented. Ran picked up a wet towel. "Did he even think to wring these out so he could reuse them? He wouldn't have needed to use his clothes…"

Suddenly, the front doorknob clicked. Shinichi dove behind the kitchen counter just as Kogoro walked in, followed by Officer Hashimoto.

"Oh," Kogoro exclaimed upon seeing his daughter, "good to see that you kids are finally getting ready." He turned to Hashimoto. "Anyway, the kitchen is right over here. Did you want tea, or cof-"

Ran jumped in front of them. "Dad!" she shouted, "it's terrible!"

"What!" Kogoro shrieked, his eyes shifting wildly around the room.

"You aren't wearing a tie!" Ran explained quickly. "You won't look very professional without a tie. You'd better go to your room and get one."

Hashimoto laughed. "Go get a tie, Mouri-san. I'll help myself."

"No!" Ran said quickly, blocking Hashimoto's path to the kitchen. "My father would never let you have tea without showing you his collection of Okino Yoko's work, would he?" She looked expectantly at her father.

Kogoro's face lit up with excitement. "You're right!" He pulled Hashimoto along behind him as he strode toward his room. "I've been working on it for quite a while, and you'll see that…"

Shinichi raced toward the door. _I'll call you later_, he mouthed as he slipped out of the room.

On the other side of the door, Shinichi sighed, his eyes closed in relief. What a nightmare. Alright, he needed to find something to wear, or at least a place to lie low. He couldn't just walk home in a bathrobe… Maybe he could try the Poirot café. Shinichi opened his eyes and froze. Standing before him was Hattori Heiji, the detective of the West, and Toyama Kazuha was stepping into the stairway from outside.

"K-Kudo…"

"Ahou!" Kazuha shouted. "Why d'ya always call him Kudo? That's…" She blinked up at Shinichi as she reached Heiji's side. "Oh, it is Kudo." Her eyes were instantly drawn to the pink women's bathrobe with which Shinichi was clothed, and also to the stitched lettering of 'Mouri Ran' on the breast. "W-why is Kudo-san dressed in…?"

Heiji smiled mischievously. "Wow, Kudo!" he exclaimed. "What've you n' neechan been up to this time?"


	19. The Ghost Girl: Yoshida Akane

A new story arc is beginning! But I promise, this story arc opens the door to the final arc, so it is completely necessary and not a filler! Oh, and you may notice that a lot of names in this arc contain the kanji character 田. For some of the names, it is intentional, but with the character Tanaka Daichi, it is not. I put a田in his name just for fun. XD

* * *

"Hattori," Shinichi whispered frantically, "I need to borrow some clothes!"

Heiji raised an eyebrow, a smug grin plastered across his face. "Ehhh, is that so?" He brought a hand to his chin. "And what has become of yer clothes?"

"Hattori!" Shinichi hissed. "You know I don't keep any of my clothes here!"

"So…" Hattori trailed off, continuing to delight in Shinichi's torment. "Am I ta' understand that you came here wearin' this lovely outfit?"

Shinichi glared. "Alright, listen," he said quietly, stealing a nervous glance at the door behind him, "I was wearing a police costume last night, but then I accidentally left it in Ran's bedroom…"

Heiji and Kazuha's eyes bulged.

"If I could somehow get back inside without being noticed," Shinichi continued, unaware that anything was amiss, "I could reclaim the costume and then return to my home inconspicuously."

Heiji was finally at a loss for words. "S-so… you…"

Shinichi glanced around nervously. "What's wrong?"

Heiji recovered quickly and nudged Shinichi's side. "Wow, Kudo!" he exclaimed slyly. "Didn' know you were inta' that!"

The insinuation was lost on Shinichi. "Well I have not often been inclined to dress as a police man," Shinichi answered with mild confusion. "We are actually borrowing the police costume from an acquaintance of ours who uses it on a regular basis."

"Okay, that's enough information!" Kazuha interrupted, raising her arms. A red blush illuminated her face as she turned to glare at Heiji. "Stop fishin' for details and go get Kudo-kun some clothes!"

Heiji paused for a moment, returning Kazuha's glare. Finally, he shrugged his shoulders and pushed open the door of the Mouri Detective Agency. As Heiji entered the office, the doorknob of the Mouri residence began to turn.

"I'll be in the bathroom of the café downstairs," Shinichi said quickly, turning and running toward the exit.

Heiji leaned his head out of the detective agency. "Wait, what's the rush?"

As Shinichi disappeared from sight, the door of the Mouri residence swung open, revealing Kogoro, Hashimoto, and Ran, who was busy sending a message on her phone.

Heiji smiled. "Ah, got it."

"I'll just get myself some coffee from the café downstairs," Hashimoto was assuring Kogoro. "After all, it's been a long night."

Kogoro frowned. "Jeez, you haven't been to bed yet?"

Hashimoto smiled weakly. "Crime never sleeps!" With that, he turned and descended the stairs. "I will be back shortly," he called out as he exited through the front door.

Kogoro shook his head as he proceeded toward his office. Upon seeing Kazuha, he craned his neck toward Ran. "Oh, I forgot to mention," he called out, drawing Ran's attention from her phone, "your friends from Osaka are here." With that, he continued into his office.

"Kazuha-chan!" Ran exclaimed excitedly, rushing to greet her friend

"Ara, Ran-chan!"

As they embraced, Kazuha held up her hand to whisper in Ran's ear. "So, you and yer detective," she prompted, "are you two fin'lly being straight up with each other?"

Ran's smile faded and she watched Kazuha for a moment.. "S-so…" She took a step back. "You and Hattori-kun… you knew?"

Kazuha noted the change in Ran's disposition. "No, no, Kudo-kun didn' say anything!" Kazuha insisted. "It's just, when we saw him, with the way he looked… We just kind of figured something had happened."

Ran nodded slowly. "I guess I'm the last to find these things out, right?" She forced a laugh. "I… I just wish he had told me sooner."

"T-told you?" Kazuha sputtered. "Y-you…" She blinked at her friend in confusion for a moment. "Wait, what are we talking about here?"

Ran cocked her head in confusion. "Umm…" She considered the subject. "I'm not sure. What are YOU talking about?"

"You an' Kudo-kun," Kazuha laughed. "have you guys finally admitted your feelings?"

Ran stared blankly, lost in a daze.

Kazuha remembered Shinichi's bathrobe. "And hopefully done nothing more," she added quickly.

Suddenly, Ran snapped back to attention and shook her head violently. "No, no! We haven't done anything!" she insisted.

"Hey," Heiji shouted, passing the girls with a bundle of clothes under his arm, "stop gossipin' out in the stairway like this – go sit down in the office like normal people!"

"Ahou, we'll do whatever we want!" Kazuha shouted back as Heiji descended the stairs. He exited through the front door, and Kazuha turned to Ran and giggled. "Shall we?" She gestured her hand toward the office door.

Ran nodded with a smile. The clothes under Heiji's arm… They must have been for Shinichi. What a stroke of luck! But that would mean… Heiji and Kazuha… They had seen Shinichi wearing…

* * *

Shinichi sighed. Hattori would never let him hear the end of this… Suddenly, he heard the door open. Perhaps it was Hattori… But perhaps not. Shinichi lifted his legs off the floor to make the stall appear empty. Just in case.

"Didn't you see I was calling?" a voice rang out. It was raspy. Probably from a cell phone. It seemed that, due to the acoustics of the bathroom, the other party could be heard quite easily.

"My apologies, sir," a young man's voice said shakily. "I was in the company of others, and I'm still not in a secure location. If you could give me a moment-"

"No need," the other party assured him. "I have simply noticed that you are not in the office. Is there a proper reason for this?"

"Ah, well… I'm just looking into a few things." It wasn't Hattori, but Shinichi felt as if he knew that voice. It sounded like… He peered cautiously through the crack of the stall door. Yes, it was him. Officer Hashimoto. He was talking on a cell phone.

"Where are you?" the other party asked.

"The um…" Hashimoto paused. "The Mouri Detective Agency, sir."

The other line was silent for a moment. "So it seems you do not have a proper reason."

"Let me explain-"

"No, let ME explain. After the incident on the roof, the situation has already been "looked into". And they ALL check out.

"Well, I still think there's something we've missed-"

"This is NOT part of your job, do you understand me?"

Hashimoto paused, deciding what to say.

"You are NOT here to solve any grand mysteries. You are NOT here to stand out. You will never be promoted, and you will never be rewarded for outstanding accomplishments. You simply need to continue doing your job and sending us the reports." There was a pause. "Of course, if you find yourself unwilling to work, the conditions of your contract for employment were very clear…"

"I'm going back to the office," Hashimoto said quickly.

"Good man. Then have the report done by noon, and be sure to send that person a thorough apology for your careless actions. I'll tell him you are on your way back to your job."

Hashimoto fell against the wall, defeated. "Yes sir," he affirmed glumly.

_Poor guy, _Shinichi thought to himself. The officer had been so busy the previous day, and yet it seemed he had gotten in trouble for something. The conditions were unclear, but for his superior to speak that way to him, it must have been something worse than simply leaving the office… Shinichi frowned. Hashimoto had said he was here to look into a few things. Was he pursuing the follow-up questions that he and Ran had avoided yesterday? But why would that land him in trouble with his job…?

_Mother crow, why do you squawk so? (Karasu naze nakuno [__烏 なぜ啼くの__])_Shinichi shook his head. Why was he thinking of that song here, of all times? Suddenly, he froze. Hashimoto was dialing a mail address on his phone. And the mail address…

Shinichi's eyes widened. It… It couldn't possibly be… But he was not mistaken. It was indeed that number. The number he had deciphered as the mail address of the Black Organization's boss. Shinichi bit his lip. Then when Hashimoto's superior had instructed him to send someone an apology, he had meant that person, the boss of the Black Organization.

If he could continue under the assumption that his identification of the mail recipient was correct, further implications arose. Hashimoto would seem to be a member of the Black Organization. Shinichi considered the idea. It made sense, keeping a low-ranked police officer on duty. He would truly need to do nothing more than his job as a police man, and simply submit his reports to the organization. The reports would detail criminal activity and reflect whether or not an act of the organization had come to the attention of the police. And if such an event arose, then Hashimoto could be instructed to manipulate the case report or evidence in favor of the organization's secrecy.

Shinichi's heart was racing. And Hashimoto could not stand out as an officer lest he be promoted from his position with access to reports and evidence, or dismissed for his criminal ties. It easily explained why Hashimoto was in trouble for looking into a few things. It was beyond his scope of duty and risked his exposure.

What was it he was investigating? The voice on the phone had mentioned the incident on the roof, and that they all checked out. He could have been referring to the incident when the organization had thought Kogoro was spying on them, and they went to a nearby roof to shoot him. The crisis had been averted and Kogoro removed from blame, and apparently, according to what the voice on the phone had said, an investigation had been conducted on himself, Ran, and Kogoro. Somehow they had all passed.

Shinichi smiled wryly. Perhaps he wasn't as bad at acting like a child as Haibara had accused him of being. He shook the joke off. At any rate, he knew where to find Hashimoto. He would be in the Tokyo Metropolitan Police Headquarters. If he was here investigating, it was most likely Edogawa Conan of whom he was suspicious.

A sudden thought struck Shinichi. The other day, when he had been performing Sonoko's deduction, there had been a moment when it seemed as though Hashimoto had seen him. Perhaps he had. And something else was bothering him. When it seemed as though Hashimoto had seen him, he had touched the top of the stall door in an odd way…

Shinichi glanced through the crack in the door. It seemed Hashimoto had gone. It was just as well, given that he was currently Kudo Shinichi, a young man whom the Black Organization had supposedly killed.

Suddenly, the door swung inward, forcing Shinichi to leap backwards against the wall to avoid being hit. There was no time to hide. Just-

"Yo, Kudo!" Heiji stood before the stall with a bundle of clothing and a broad grin.

Shinichi's heartbeat steadied, and he glared at the Western detective. "You nearly smashed my face in."

Heiji laughed. "Yeah, but you were spying through the door like a weirdo. I had to put a stop to it."

Shinichi laughed and shook his head. "Anyway" – he reached out and took the clothes from Heiji – "thank you for helping me out like this. I'll explain things later." He retreated into the stall and closed the door.

Heiji nodded to himself. "Ah, but before all o' that, here's somethin' ya' might like: jus', as I was leavin', I saw a client heading into tha' office!"

"Really?" Shinichi called out.

"Yeah!" Heiji affirmed. "Nat'rally, my interest was piqued, so I postponed my clothing deliv'ry so I could listen ta' the guy fer a bit."

"And?"

"Yeah, gettin' ta' that," Heiji assured him. His name is Tanaka Daichi – he's a big guy, somewhere in his 50's I'd say. Anyway, it seems he's lookin' fer a girl from his middle school."

Shinichi finished dressing and opened the door. "That doesn't sound very interesting," he remarked in disappointment. He moved toward the exit of the bathroom.

"Thas' what I thought at first," Heiji assured Shinichi, following behind him, "but it seems that the girl completely disappeared off the face o' the planet after graduating middle school in 1971. Ev'ryone assumed she'd died, 'cause she was always sickly anyway." He paused for a moment as he and Shinichi exited Poirot Café and entered the stairwell to the Mouri Detective Agency. Tanaka-san says she had some rare blood disease, but he doesn't remember which one. Anyway, he saw her some years later, in a sailor suit high school uniform, an' assumed she was still alive an' attending school. But then twenty-five years later, he saw her again, tha' same age, and in tha' same sailor suit. So he's thinkin' that the girl died, and that she's been hauntin' 'im ever since."

Shinichi brightened. "Alright, interesting enough," he commented as they entered the office.

"So you think this girl is haunting you," Kogoro repeated aloud. "Can I ask why?"

Daichi Tanaka looked at the ground nervously. "Well, it's…" He frowned. "I'm not really sure – I mean…"

"It's because you used to bully her, right?"

Daichi turned in surprise to see Shinichi studying the picture over his shoulder. "H-how did you…?"

"Well just look at tha' picture," Heiji cut in, peering over the man's other shoulder. "That's you there, that big, bulky, mean-lookin' fella. This girl ya' circled is the one yer looking for, and she's sitting on the complete opposite side of the bleachers from ya'."

"Not to mention, the girl is slightly distanced from the other classmates around her, indicating that she is a social outsider, the primary candidate for bullying," Shinichi added. "And you would not be worrying that she is haunting you if you never did wrong by her."

"Hey you kids, get out of here!" Kogoro snapped. "Can't you see I'm trying to work?"

Daichi studied the two boys for a moment. "It… It is as you say," he admitted. "I did some very bad things to her, and… Well, I just want to make things right, and put her spirit to rest."

Kogoro leaned back in his chair. "If you saw her as you said, then chances are, she isn't a ghost," he scoffed. "Which school's uniform did you say she was wearing?"

"Well, it was a sailor suit uniform," Daichi began, "but I'm not sure where it was from…"

"Well, couldn't we just look up her name in the phone directory?" Kogoro suggested.

"Th-that's the problem," Daichi replied. "Her name was Yoshida Akane (吉田茜), but not a single record of this girl exists past middle school graduation. And I know it was her that I saw."

"Are you sure she attended high school in this country?" Shinichi asked.

"I'm completely sure," Daichi assured them. "The year after middle school, she passed by my house walking to school every day, with her bag and uniform."

Kogoro crossed his arms. "Jeez, why didn't you just talk to her then?"

"Ah, well, I…" Daichi laughed uneasily. "I guess I couldn't work up the courage…"

"Hey," Shinichi interrupted, "She might have changed her name after middle school. Or maybe her parents divorced or remarried, resulting in a change to her surname."

"Th-that's true…" Daichi said slowly. "But what about seeing her again, twenty-five years later?"

"With that much time passing," Kogoro cut in, "it was probably just some other girl that looked like her."

"No, I'm absolutely positive it was her," Daichi insisted. "She…" He trailed off, looking uneasily at the floor. "She had the same birthmark. On the outside of the forearm, towards the middle, there was a small, t-shaped birthmark." He paused again. "I remember it so vividly because she always tried to cover her head as I was beating her up, and I always saw that birthmark, every single time."

Kogoro frowned. "Well if she changed her name, and we only know the look of her face, what do you want us to do? Walk up and down the streets looking for this girl?"

"Ah, actually!" Ran stepped forward. "Our high school always has the classes of students photographed, and then they catalogue the pictures as a memento of those that attended the school. Maybe we can visit the different high schools in the area and look for this girl in their class photos."

Shinichi turned to face Ran excitedly. "And we could narrow it down to only the high schools with sailor uniforms!" he added.

"And which schools are those, wise guy?" Kogoro asked, glaring at Shinichi.

Shinichi smiled uneasily. "Ah, well, that is to say…"

"Three of them," Ran announced. All eyes in the room turned toward her. "There are three high schools in the area with sailor uniforms." She turned to her father. "I could give you the addresses, and then we could split up into three groups of two and search for the girl's picture at the schools."

Kogoro nodded. "Y-yeah. That would work." _With all that time Ran had spent hanging around that detective kid_, Kogoro thought to himself, _it seems that she has succumbed to the detective mania as well._

* * *

"Ah, Takagi-san, isn't it?"

"Y-yes."

The man beamed. "Well, what brings you here to Forensics?"

"Actually," Takagi admitted, reaching his hand into his pocket, "I was hoping I could get an ident-" He paused, weighing the words in his mind.

"What was that?"

Takagi was silent for a moment. Finally, he shook his head. "Ah, never mind! I had forgotten that we had already done an ident on it." Takagi forced a nervous laugh. "Sorry to have wasted your time!"

He turned and began making his way back toward his desk. No. That would not be the best course of action. It was the easiest path toward information, but it was also sure to be the easiest trail to follow, had he been discovered. He would need to be careful to cover his tracks, and he would need to seek out his information independent of his work as a police officer.

As he passed the desks of his fellow officers, he noticed that Hashimoto was working on a fingerprint comparative analysis, the left print labeled simply as "A" and the right as "B".

Takagi attempted to appear casual. "So, how's it going?" he asked, stopping in front of Hashimoto's desk.

Hashimoto glanced up. "Heh?"

"Ah, the fingerprint analysis," Takagi clarified. "How is your fingerprint analysis going?" He smiled uneasily.

Hashimoto returned his gaze to the papers on his desk. "Not very well," he admitted. "I just…" He sighed. "It seems like I cannot do anything right recently. Look." Hashimoto pointed toward the papers in front of him. "What does that look like to you?"

Takagi was taken aback for a moment. He studied the papers briefly and turned toward Hashimoto. "They don't seem to be a match," he decided.

"Not a match," Hashimoto repeated. He clutched his head, closing his eyes. "Oh man," he lamented, "I think I'm going crazy."

Takagi forced a laugh. "You probably just need sleep," he assured the officer. "You've been working nonstop for a while now, and your work is no good if you're too sleepy to do it correctly. You should probably take a sick day." Takagi considered his suggestion for a moment. "Oh, and isn't your girlfriend in the hospital? You can go visit her with your day off."

Hashimoto's eyes widened. "What?"

Takagi bit his lip. "Oh, wait, if you haven't heard anything yet, I'm probably mistaken. I only know her face from that picture on your desk, after all."

Hashimoto nodded, breathing a sigh of relief.


	20. The Ghost Girl: Hidden Feelings

Hey everyone, sorry for the irregular updates. The mean old real world wants me to pay attention to it, haha. These chapters SHOULD be coming out more regularly in the next few weeks.

Anyway, this fanfic has almost been running for an entire year now, and I really appreciate all the love and support. You guys are amazing, and I'm so glad you've stuck around this long! I promise - an ending's coming soon! And... I think it's good. I'm pretty darn excited. Hope you all think so too. :D

* * *

"Alright," Kogoro concluded, scrawling some notes onto a piece of paper. He turned to Ran. "That's all of them, right?"

Ran nodded.

"Well then!" Kogoro put his feet up on his desk and leaned back in his chair. "We'll head out in a little bit…"

Heiji stared at him agitatedly. "Hey, there's no use sittin' around! We should just go right now!"

Kogoro turned to the Western detective with a patronizing glare. "And what about Officer Hashimoto, who is still waiting to question the brat?" he asked him mockingly.

Heiji glanced sideways at Shinichi. "Question the brat, huh…?"

"Speaking of which," Kogoro added, "where the heck are those two?"

"Officer Hashimoto returned to the police station," Shinichi informed them quickly. All eyes turned to him. "He had forgotten to complete some of his paperwork, so they had called him back."

"'Taku," Kogoro scoffed. "If he could leave so readily, he shouldn't have acted like speaking to the brat was the most important thing in the world."

Shinichi tensed at the thought. But it was indeed good news, that Hashimoto had come to visit, and that he needed to question Edogawa Conan. It indicated that there was not yet enough evidence for Hashimoto to make a proper conclusion on his true identity.

Hashimoto had said it to him at Tropical Land, that "_it is dangerous to jump to conclusions too quickly. No logical deduction can be made on just a hunch. If you have no proof, then you do not truly know anything"._

Hashimoto had no proof of Edogawa Conan's true identity, and it was for that reason that he was attempting to investigate further. And given the way Hashimoto's superior had spoken to him over the phone, no nonsensical deductions would be tolerated from him. Most likely, Hashimoto would not report anything until he had obtained substantial evidence. Clear-cut, undeniable proof.

Well… He could only hope that Hashimoto would not find any…

And something else was bothering him about that phone conversation. Although he could hardly pretend to understand the motive a man could have behind working for the Black Organization, Hashimoto did not seem very happy with his membership therein.

And when Hashimoto had spoken of justice, and demonstrated exceptional skills of deduction at Tropical Land, he had seemed truly passionate. But due to the nature of his obligations for the organization, he could never stand out, never be acknowledged, and never be promoted. He was discouraged from taking pride in his work and seeking out his beloved justice. In such an undesirable situation, and with such a commitment to justice, what was it that Hashimoto hoped to gain from the organization?

And aside from that… More importantly, how had Hashimoto come to suspect him?

Heiji waved a hand in front of Shinichi's face. "Hey, are ya' even payin' attention?"

Shinichi turned dazedly toward the sound. "Huh?"

Heiji shook his head in disappointment. "I said, which school do we wanna do?"

Wait! A thought flashed across Shinichi's mind. How had he not seen it before? He had been wondering how it was that Ran was suddenly so certain, and how she knew about his use of the bow tie. If she had learned in _that _way, then maybe…

"Actually, I need to talk to Ran for a bit," Shinichi replied, "so I think I'll pair up with her for today."

Heiji was silent for a moment, processing the information. He studied Ran. Their relationship seemed different somehow. "Alright," he consented, a broad grin spreading across his face. "I'll leave you two lovebirds alone for now."

* * *

Ran watched Shinichi as the school's secretary set about finding the old class photos for them. "Hey, um… you know," Ran began, turning around and leaning against the school's front desk, "about what I said last night, about you leaving…" Ran paused. "Well," she continued, "I didn't mean to leave the impression that I want you to never leave my side. You… You could have gone with Hattori-kun. You guys are good friends, after all."

Ran frowned. "I guess, I just… I missed you. And I didn't want to let go once I had found you." She shook her head. "But I need to remember that you've been with me the entire time, so clinging to you so tightly would probably make you uncomfortable." She forced a laugh. "From your perspective, you've seen me every day. But from my perspective, I still feel like it has been months…"

Ran watched her feet as they fidgeted nervously. "I guess I just need to try my best to ignore it," she said quietly.

"N-no," Shinichi replied quickly. "I…" He frowned. "A-actually, my reasons for accompanying you weren't entirely noble. I was… I was hoping to ask you a few questions…"

Ran was quiet. "O-oh." She glanced up to face Shinichi, hiding the inner sting she had felt when her words had been so quickly swept aside. Really, why would she expect more? This was Shinichi. The mystery business was top priority.

And really, Ran wouldn't want to get in the way of that anyway. It was truly important. It concerned criminals and murderous cases. And she had told herself she would do her best to help. She was not going to waste time making Shinichi apologize. That was silly. When Shinichi had attempted to apologize the previous night, she had brushed it off quickly, telling him that she understood.

Because she did understand. Shinichi needed her support right now. But…

It still hurt. Even if she understood Shinichi's reasons, even if he was truly sorry, even if he had tried to apologize… It made sense. It did. But she couldn't just shake away that pain. It still sat in the pit of her stomach.

Shinichi had lied to her. Shinichi had tricked her.

And Shinichi had told others. He had confided in them, before her. And if she had not seen that image on Hashimoto's cell phone screen, maybe he never would have told her. Maybe he always intended to keep her in the dark, for her to never find out. The truth was… Shinichi had not trusted her enough to keep his secret.

All this time she had been waiting for Shinichi, because deep down, in her heart, she knew that she loved him. And so she had resigned herself to waiting. Waiting, waiting, waiting. Because she would do anything for him. She would die for him.

But… What exactly was she to Shinichi?

He had inexplicably disappeared, and it broke Ran's heart. He did not tell Ran. She waited. He returned every now and then, to remind Ran to wait for him. And she waited. And then he had implied in London that he liked her, and then left again. And she waited.

Her heart felt heavy, but no, it was okay, because she would wait for an eternity, because she loved him. He wanted her to wait, so she would wait. While he lied to her, and tricked her, and trusted everyone over her… But he wanted to keep her around, because he liked her.

And… And that was okay, right? To stand by him, no matter what pain he caused her… Be-because she loved him, right? And… And no matter what pain she encountered, no matter how many times he would trick her, or lie to her, no matter how much respect she lost for herself… It was all worth it… right?

To… To be in love?

Ran held her breath, forcing back the tears that were preparing to run down her face. No. She had seen how those intentions would play out. Her mother had loved her father so much, but a time came when her mom could no longer withstand the burden of the relationship that continually caused her pain.

Ran had been crying when her mother left home. As she left her husband. As she left Ran.

"_Ran," _she had said, maintaining stoicism despite the pain reflected in her eyes, _"I love you, and I love him."_ She had stroked Ran's cheek. _"But… Sweetie, listen. If you cannot love yourself, you cannot give love to anyone else."_ She had smiled sadly. _"If you lose sight of your own worth, your own pride, confidence, and respect…"_ She brushed a tear out of her eye. _"You can never be happy." _She had stood up then, marching slowly toward the door.

"_M-mommy…" _Ran had called out, tears streaming down her face, _"I'll – I'll make you happy. Me and daddy, we will make you happy! Please stay…"_

Her mother shook her head, opening the door. _"I can't," _she said quietly. _"I can't keep chasing a love that only brings me pain."_ She stepped through the door. _"Don't you ever resign yourself to pain, Ran. Don't ever accept it as your fate. You deserve to be happy."_ With that, her mother closed the door, and left Ran alone, in the care of her father.

"Would…" Shinichi paused, a brief flicker of concern halting his words. "Would you mind if I asked you a question?"

Ran closed her eyes gently and buried her thoughts under a stoic smile. "O-of course, what is it?"

Shinichi took a deep breath. "In the past few months, you've not really suspected Edogawa Conan at all, and you certainly did not when we began our day at Tropical Land either." Shinichi fixed his gaze. "When you had suddenly become certain of the truth, had it been something you saw?"

Ran drew in her breath and nodded slowly. "I… I saw your deduction show," she answered quietly. "I saw you standing behind Sonoko, who was sleeping, and you were talking into your bow tie. And your style of deduction is so distinctive – it just instantly clicked in my mind that you were the voice behind all of the 'sleeping' detectives."

Ran paused, weighing her words. "And, I guess none of that was indication you were Shinichi," she reasoned, "but… Well, I guess I just couldn't see anyone besides Shinichi talking like that, or using such a convoluted method simply to reveal a mystery."

Shinichi smiled wryly. _Oi oi…_

"Ah!" Ran clapped a hand over her mouth. She was silent for a moment, and then she slowly drew her hand away. "Y-you said that some people know your identity, but that if those people in black find you out, there will be trouble, right?"

Shinichi nodded.

"Well, someone else saw your deduction show," Ran explained, "and I think he recorded it…" Ran frowned, cursing herself for not telling Shinichi sooner. "Officer Hashimoto… Is he – I mean… Is he someone you have told?"

Shinichi's eyes were wide. It wasn't necessarily evidence of his identity, but Ran was right – no child would do something like that. And if he had it recorded… Shinichi sighed. As fate would have it, all this… All this had to happen as soon as he told Ran. As soon as he had made Ran into a target by revealing to her the truth.

"Ran," Shinichi said quickly, "we need to be very careful." He glanced around, ensuring that no one was nearby. "Officer Hashimoto – he is one of… them. But don't worry. I have reason to believe that he will not share this information until he gains further confirmation." Shinichi paused. "So we should strive to not provide him with any, and we should also probably come up with a reasonable explanation for the video…"

Ran nodded slowly. "So for now, we wait."

"Y-yeah," Shinichi agreed.

"Here you are!" the secretary announced, having returned to the front desk with a large box. "These are all of our photo records from 1970 to the present. I hope they can help the great detective Mouri Kogoro with his case."

"Ah, thank you so much!" Ran offered politely, her eye twitching at the 'great detective' comment.

The secretary nodded. "I'll be in the back if you need anything else." With that, she left the room once more.

Shinichi pulled his phone from his pocket. "Actually," he decided, turning to Ran, "I just thought of some evidence of Conan's identity… If you don't mind getting started without me, I think I should make a phone call, just to make sure everything is secure."

Ran nodded, a weak smile pasted onto her features, and Shinichi excused himself.

* * *

"Hello?"

"Takagi-keiji," Shinichi began, "This is Kudo Shinichi. I hope you don't mind, but Conan-kun gave me your number."

"Th-that's fine," Takagi affirmed. "Umm… How can I help you?"

"Ah, well…" Shinichi paused. "Actually, I just learned there was a clerical error made with my database profile yesterday, so I just want to make sure there were no mistakes made because of it. So if you could tell me, did anyone attempt to pull my fingerprint profile in the last twenty-four hours?"

Takagi was silent for a moment. "Y-yes, there was one officer. It looks like it was… Ah, it was Hashimoto-san. Looks like he was just pursuing a follow-up report."

"O-okay," Shinichi stammered. "Well, my profile got messed up – an officer in Nagoya accidentally overwrote all of my information with that of someone else – so… Well, let Hashimoto know that the information in there is wrong, so it won't do to use my profile until it gets fixed."

"Oh, um, it looks like he pulled Conan-kun's profile as well," Takagi reflected offhandedly. "Well, I saw him comparing the two earlier," he continued nervously, addressing Shinichi's instructions, "and I guess it wasn't a match – I don't know why he would expect otherwise – but anyway, he was really broken up about it." Takagi was silent for a moment. "But Hashimoto-san is under a lot of pressure right now, and whether he is comparing Conan-kun and Shinichi-kun, or Conan-kun and your mistaken profile, it wouldn't be a match either way. So I think I'll just let him think he was comparing Conan-kun and Shinichi-kun, and that it wasn't a match. I wouldn't want to make him do the comparative analysis all over again for nothing, after all."

"Y-yeah…" Shinichi agreed. What had happened? Conan and Shinichi's files were not a match? Had someone replaced Shinichi's profile with another? Perhaps it was the FBI? But he didn't think they knew, maybe with the exception of Shuichi Akai. Would they go so far as to alter police records? If it wasn't them…

"Um, anyway," Takagi cut in quickly, "is there anything else you need?"

"N-no, I think that's it," Shinichi decided. "Thank you very much." Shinichi prepared to end the call.

"Shinichi-kun," Takagi suddenly called out, his voice surprisingly steady.

Shinichi paused. "Y-yes?"

"Do you… I mean… I think, maybe… W-well, you called asking about Hashimoto-san's recent activity, right?"

"I-I guess," Shinichi agreed.

"I've been watching him closely since yesterday," Takagi informed him, "and although I hold the utmost trust for my fellow officers…" He was silent for a moment. "Well, if you could help me to assuage my suspicions, I would greatly appreciate it. Can you come to the office this evening?"

Shinichi held his breath. Suspicions? What did Takagi know? What had he seen? Surely, if it was regarding Hashimoto, it would be valuable information. But if he prompted Takagi to continue investigating Hashimoto, then Takagi would be drawn closer and closer to the Black Organization. And he would surely be in danger then. But… If Takagi had already suspected something, the damage was already done…

"Um-uh… S-sure," Shinichi agreed. "I'll message you later." With that, Shinichi ended the call.

"Hey, Shinichi, look at this!" Shinichi turned to see Ran leafing through photos at the front desk.

If he had learned anything from this entire ordeal, it was patience. He needed to bide his time. He needed to find out what Takagi knew. He needed to find out what Haibara had done last night. He needed to find the meaning of Seville. He needed to defeat the organization. He needed to save as many lives as possible. He needed to find a way to do it all without leaving room for retaliation, backlash, or consequence.

So for now, this silly ghost mystery – it would do as a distraction for the time being. Shinichi strode toward the desk and looked down at the photo under Ran's finger.

"This looks like her, doesn't it?" Ran asked him.

He studied the picture. It featured an entire class sitting on bleachers and smiling at the camera. On the topmost level and leftmost seat was a girl who very closely resembled the one in Daichi's picture. She wore a vacant expression, devoid of emotion, but her eyes were keenly fixed on the camera. Her hair was dark and straight, falling just past her shoulders. She had thick bangs, cut uniformly across the ridge of her brow.

"She's kind of creepy," Ran remarked, shivering, "but it does look like her, right?"

Shinichi nodded. "Which year is this?"

Ran glanced down at the book. "Ah, well, this was taken in… 1980…"

Shinichi frowned. "If Tanaka-san saw her walking to school in 1972, there appears to be a bit of a discrepancy…"

Ran nodded. "Maybe this isn't the same girl. She could be a sibling, or a relative…" Ran began flipping the pages of the book toward less recent years. Suddenly, she stopped, her eyes wide.

"We should probably start with 1972," Shinichi suggested, grasping a page between his fingers.

"No, didn't you see it?" Ran asked, stopping his hand.

"See what?"

Ran took a deep breath and placed the book flat on the table. She returned to the page featuring the photo from 1980. "Alright, you see the girl there, in the top leftmost seat?"

"Yeah," Shinichi affirmed.

"Okay, watch the same spot," Ran instructed him, turning to the previous year's page.

In the top leftmost seat, the exact same girl sat facing the camera. She wore the same vacant expression, the same fixed gaze, the same dark hair – everything was identical down to the last detail.

Ran turned to the further previous year. Same girl, same seat, same expression, same gaze, same hair. Ran turned the page again. Same. Again. Same. Again… Same… Ran continued turning the pages, revealing the same girl in the same seat of every photo. 1974 – same.

The two watched closely as the years slowly reached the alleged appearance of the ghost girl before Daichi. 1973 – same. 1972 – same.

Shinichi frowned. "That's certainly interesting…"

Ran shot him a nervous glance before continuing. She turned the page to 1971. The girl was not there. So it seemed 1972 had indeed been the year in which she first appeared here.

Ran swallowed nervously. "Hey Shinichi," she began quietly, "According to Tanaka-san, people thought she died after graduating middle school, right?" She paused. "What if they are right, and she died right before starting high school? So now her spirit is acting out the high school life she never had…?"

"Well, although the intent is sound, I think we have a different case here…" Shinichi attempted to explain impartially.

Ran frowned. "Are you still insistent that the paranormal doesn't exist, even after what happened to you?"

Shinichi glared at her. "It's not like someone chanted a magical spell over my head," he countered. "It's just pure, natural science."

"Alright," Ran consented, "then tell me how it works."

Shinichi hesitated. "Well, I don't know exactly how it works – something about apoptosis and telomerase – but I know it isn't magic or anything supernatural."

"But that's my point," Ran persisted. "If we don't fully understand how the universe works, how can you be so certain that the so-called supernatural phenomena do not arise from pure, natural science?"

"But a smattering of myths and exaggerated fairy tales is not the same thing as conclusively proved scientific theories," Shinichi huffed. "If you have no proof, then you don't really know anything."

Ran took a breath as if to speak, but didn't respond, instead sighing and turning to the ground.

"Sorry to bother you again," the secretary interrupted, returning to the desk with another box. "I found the club photos as well."

Happy for the interruption, Shinichi turned once more toward the girl's photograph. Wait! There it was. He turned toward the secretary. "Excuse me, do you know if these photos were taken with a professional company?"

"Ah, actually, they are not. While other schools hold contracts with professional companies, our school has always relied solely on the Photography Club."

"Photography Club?" Shinichi repeated.

The woman nodded. "It's been around for a while, and it's made up of students who enjoy working with classical photography – with film and all those developing chemicals and such. The school lets them do the class photos every year in exchange for club funding. Anyway, the students are cheaper than any professional company, so I guess it's a good deal for everyone."

Shinichi smiled. "Thank you, that certainly makes things easier," he remarked. "Look here." He pointed his index finger toward the student sitting in front of the girl. There was a faint white halo in the spaces between the girl and the adjacent students.

Ran sidled closer to Shinichi, and the secretary leaned over the desk to view the picture.

Upon catching sight of the ghostly aura, Ran nodded. "That's in all of the pictures," she informed them.

Shinichi flipped through the pages. It was. "Well," Shinichi decided, turning the pages once more, "it seems we are not dealing with a ghost girl, but with a malevolent prankster. The photographs are nothing more than a trick, manipulated through the use of a crude photography technique."


	21. The Ghost Girl: Strange Behavior

Not much to say aside from thank you for reading! You guys are awesome.

* * *

_Beep Beep._

Shinichi glanced down at his phone. Mail from Takagi… He opened the message.

_Could he come to the office now? He probably could. He just_ – Shinichi lurched forward involuntarily, clutching his side. _Not again…_

"Technique?" the secretary repeated incredulously. "Sorry, what technique was it you were talking about?"

Ran looked expectantly at the young detective. "Shinichi?" she entreated cautiously.

Shinichi winced. "Sorry Ran," he offered quickly, "but something just came up, so I need to take off."

Ran stared blankly for a moment before realizing what was happening. "Sh-should I go with you? I-if you should need any help, or-"

"No no," Shinichi cut in, "no..." He paused, attempting to soften the directness of his request. Shinichi shook his head. "No, I…" He trailed off. "No, that's okay."

He studied Ran from the corner of his eye. She had that face on, that face that was devoid of any emotion, with not a bit of sadness to be seen. And it was that face that she wore when she was feeling the worst. Because no matter how she felt, she always strove to give the world her best.

He needed to be strong for Ran. If she saw him suffering as he typically did during the transformation, she would only be more distressed. It was for the same reason that, back when he was very young, he had decided he would never cry. Because it would only burden Ran further.

Her empathy was such that she could feel the pain of others, almost as profoundly as if it were hers. And as she would provide them comfort, she would, subtly and secretly, lift the pain from their hearts, shoulder the burden herself, and slip away unnoticed and without acknowledgement.

Ran was quiet beneath her apathetic mask. "Then… I guess I'll just wait here…" she decided calmly, "until you get back."

Shinichi nodded pensively, continuing to hold his side. He took a deep breath. He had failed to notice until now, but it was there. Even before he had told Ran anything, it had been there. His burden. Ran was already sharing in it, sporting a brave face as it weighed upon her heart.

And he was the one who had asked her to take it. _"Don't you run off." "There's something I want to say to you…" "That's why, wait for me, will you?" "The heart of the woman I like – how can I accurately deduce that?"_ Again and again, he had asked her.

He had once told Heiji that he would rather he disappear from Ran's world, so she could be happy… But he hadn't done that. He had done the opposite. He had abandoned her, but then again and again he had injected himself back into her life, reminding her to wait for him, to think of him, to continue liking him, to do nothing – to be nothing – but devoted to him.

He had thrown this burden at Ran, and she had shouldered it quietly. What… What was he doing?

Shinichi straightened himself up and smiled. "Ran."

Ran regarded his sudden spirit nervously. "Y-yes?"

"Don't wait for me!" he instructed her.

Ran appeared confused. "W-what?"

"D-don't wait for me," Shinichi repeated. "After this, I need to meet with a few people, to straighten some things out. It will probably take a while, so don't wait for me."

Ran was silent for a moment. "Then, what of this mystery?" she wondered.

"You can solve it."

Ran stared at him for a moment before folding her arms. "Wait, didn't you already solve everything?" she posited with a scowl. "Is it that you need this to be like your typical cases, where a clueless Mouri throws out idiotic speculation, and then you swoop in with your accurate, overly showy deduction and save the day?"

_Oi oi. Overly showy deduction?_ "N-no, that's not it," Shinichi stammered. "And I haven't solved it, as you say. I understand the trick used for the photograph, as I'm sure you do as well…" Ran nodded hesitantly. "But what remains to be discovered," Shinichi continued, "is the motive behind such a trick, and its relation to the ghost girl whom Tanaka-san claims to have seen."

"A-alright," Ran agreed, "but how am I supposed to solve the mystery? I'm not even a detective."

"Baaa-ro," Shinichi teased. "Everyone's a detective. You only need logic, reason, and an open mind. And you're smart too, so it's a plus."

Ran forced a laugh. "Shinichi, even if you think I'm smart, there's no way my reasoning could compare to y-"

"Don't be so quick to dismiss yourself," Shinichi interrupted. He watched Ran for a moment, forming the words in his mind. "It… It wasn't a fluke, that we tied back then."

Ran was taken aback. "Wha- you…?"

"All of the materials for solving the mystery are in your head," Shinichi assured her, attempting to ignore her surprise. "J-just believe in yourself, and you will find the truth." Shinichi was frozen for a moment, heat spreading across his face. "So, um… Err… Well…" He sidled awkwardly toward the exit. "I- I'll see you…" With that, Shinichi exited the building, clutching his side in pain as soon as he escaped Ran's vision.

_Okay, _he thought to himself, _I have about 13 minutes to get home before I change…_ Well… That was considering this transformation would be normal, and it hadn't been. After returning to himself and quickly turning back into Conan with Haibara's latest antidote, he had suddenly become himself once more, in the burning building. It was certainly an atypical experience… No, no time for that. Just get home as quickly as possible.

* * *

Ran blushed slightly. "I- I didn't know…" she remarked distractedly, "I didn't know, that he knew that…"

The secretary looked at her inquiringly.

"Ah, it was…" Ran paused. "Well, we both tied for the top score on the high school entrance exam, but they only wanted one person to do the speech, so they asked us individually why we should be the one to do it. I asked them to let the other student give the speech, and I found out at the entrance ceremony that it was Shinichi. The only mention of the student who tied with Shinichi was the posted test results, displaying only the student numbers." Ran smiled to herself. "I never thought he knew it was me…"

The secretary nodded slowly, sparing nervous glances at the stack of photos she had begun inspecting with the two high schoolers. "S-so…" she began, "do you know the technique he was referring to, that somehow summoned this ghost girl into all of these pictures?"

Ran nodded. "Th-the disturbing photographs of the ghost girl," she began, attempting to emulate Shinichi's grandiose deductions, "arise from a fairly simple technique… is what Shinichi said…"

The secretary raised an eyebrow. "O-okay…"

"Well, you said the school's Photography Club develops these pictures the old-fashioned way, right?"

The secretary nodded.

"Well, before photographs were taken digitally," Ran reasoned, "they were accomplished by simply exposing the film to light. When the silver halides comprising the emulsion of the film are exposed to the electromagnetic radiation of light, the Bromide undergoes an oxidation reaction, allowing the Silver ions to reduce to Silver atoms that form the latent image, which is then further darkened by developers with a low electron affinity. This properly shaded film can then further be used to transfer the image onto a paper of any size. The film is simply placed under a light, allowing the image to be exposed onto the emulsion of photo paper."

The secretary stared blankly.

Ran blushed. "Ah, well, I took a photography class when I was younger," she explained. "Ah, but aside from the details," she continued, swatting at the air apologetically, "It seems like crude spotting and dodging was used, given the white halo surrounding the girl, which actually is a pretty simple technique. After the film is placed under the light and adjusted for the size of the picture, you place a sheet of printer paper of similar size under the projected image. Then you trace along the outline of the area you will be altering. In this case, the prankster traced along the outline of students around the 'ghost girl'. You cut the paper along the outline, and then you have two pieces of paper – one that covers the region of the normal student body, and the other that covers the region of the 'ghost girl'.

"Once you have those materials, you shut off the exposure light and set your photo paper in place. You cover the ghost girl's region with the piece of printer paper for her region, expose the photo paper to the student body photograph, and shut off the light once more. At this point, the photo paper will possess a latent image of the student body, but the ghost girl's region will be blank due to the paper having covered it. To place the ghost girl into this image, you now place the film from the ghost girl's school year under the light. You cover the rest of the student body with the printer paper, and leave the ghost girl's region uncovered. You expose this section to light, and then when you develop the image, it appears as though the ghost girl is sitting among a different set of classmates. Furthermore, due to an inexact placement of the printer paper covers – after all, it's difficult to get it perfect – the girl is surrounded by the ghostly white aura of photo paper that was exposed to less light than the rest of the picture."

The secretary stared at the picture for a moment, and then suddenly burst out laughing.

Ran bit her lip. "W-what's so funny?" she wondered.

"Oh no, I'm sorry!" the secretary uttered between breaths. "It's not you. It's just that – it figures they would do something like this."

Ran cocked her head. "What do you mean?"

"Ah, well…" The secretary took a moment to compose herself. "I used to be a student here, back in 1996. Anyway, around that time, there were a bunch of rumors going around that our school was being haunted by the ghost of this girl, Yoshida Akane. Apparently, she was a shy, weird girl who attended the first week of school here back in 1972.

"As the story goes, she stayed at school late on Friday evening, having volunteered to clean the science lab. So when she finally left, the sky was dark. As soon as she crossed the street, they say this big guy drove up beside her, and he dragged her kicking and screaming into his car. He threw some stuff out the window, and then drove off with her. There were a few witnesses who called the police, but nothing came of it."

The secretary paused. "Oh," she continued, "I forgot to mention that big guy. I guess he was a stalker or something, who attended middle school with her, and some people said he was secretly in love with her. Anyway, he got her into the car and drove off with her. At this point, the story diverges considerably. Some say he tortured and killed her, others say he had his way with her and dumped the body, and still others say that she fought him off and went into hiding under a different name. Basically, Yoshida Akane was never heard from again, and there were all kinds of rumors explaining what had happened to her."

Ran was frowning. "But why is she in these pictures?" she asked plainly.

The secretary nodded. "Oh right, sorry. Well, in response to the rumors, a group of students started this one weird club, called the _Inner Field Mysteries_. Their goal was to seek out the truth surrounding the Yoshida Akane incident, and to punish the stalker guy."

"It sounds like an… interesting club," Ran attempted politely.

"Well, it could have been," the secretary agreed, "but the club wasn't exactly… deduction-focused. Rather than investigating the mystery, they mostly tried to simulate a haunting, so the stalker guy would be scared into confessing. They started planting silly clues, probably these photographs using the trick you described, to strengthen the simulation. I even heard that one of the members dressed up as Yoshida Akane and walked by the stalker guy's house every morning to scare him into thinking he was being haunted." Ran's eyes widened at the description. The secretary scoffed. "I don't know why anyone would be so committed to terrifying a complete stranger though…"

"So, they knew the stalker's identity?"

The secretary shrugged. "Well, it certainly doesn't make sense, since they say nothing came of the police investigation, but I had always heard that the club president somehow knew the man's name and address."

"A-and she never brought this information to the police?"

"Well," the secretary began, suddenly turning to dig through the box of club photos that she had brought out, "the _Inner Field Mysteries_ club was always weird and mysterious, so I wouldn't think that would be their style. I never even knew who was in it. In fact, I don't even think they reported their list of members to the school…" She continued leafing through the photos. "I think the extent of the impression they left on the world was simply their club album. I know it's in here somewhere…"

Suddenly, the secretary's eyes lit up. "Ah, here we are!" She produced a thin album from the box and offered it to Ran. "You can borrow that for now, but that's probably as much help as I can give you," she admitted. "You said Mouri-san sent you here to find Yoshida Akane, right? If anyone knows where she is, it's that stalker guy. And if you want to catch that stalker guy, then the president of that club could probably give you the information you need."

Ran smiled uneasily. "Um… Yeah, sure…" From the story the secretary had recounted, it sounded like Tanaka-san was the stalker. Or at least… He was the one being haunted by that weird club's president… "Th-then…" Ran bowed. "Thank you very much for your help. Please excuse me."

The secretary smiled and nodded, watching as Ran exited the building.

* * *

Ran considered the information. If Tanaka-san was a stalker looking for Yoshida Akane, then they certainly couldn't find her for him. They would need to keep her whereabouts a secret…

But how had that club's president decided that Tanaka-san was the one at fault, if nothing had come of the police investigation? How could one girl be sure that she knew better than the police, when she had not even been born when the incident had allegedly occurred?

And anyway, if Tanaka-san was guilty of having wronged this girl, and rumors had persisted for years after the incident, why would he have come forward and announced himself so readily to a famous detective? This information had not been exactly difficult to come by, and if they were to find Yoshida Akane as he had asked, she would confirm the allegations, and Tanaka-san would be facing severe charges. So, it wouldn't really be in his benefit to lead a great detective to Yoshida-san in the first place.

Tanaka-san's guilt could not yet be ruled out, but it was easily possible that he had been wrongly accused. When he had submitted this case to her father, he had said he wanted the spirit put to rest. Perhaps it was his own spirit he had wanted to calm. He had admitted to bullying Yoshida-san in middle school. Suicide is a common result of bullying, so when Yoshida-san had disappeared… Well, the possibility might have occurred to him.

Then in 1996, the school girls had started simulating a haunting, so on a daily basis, Tanaka-san began witnessing what appeared to be the ghost of Yoshida-san, walking past his apartment building. It certainly must have weighed on his conscience.

But ghosts are hard for anyone to believe in, so he must have denied the possibility at the time. But according to Tanaka-san, the ghost girl had continued to appear, with the same uniform, hairstyle, and birthmark, in front of his apartment every school day, from 1996 to the present.

Since it would be difficult to imagine anyone doing such a thing for 16 years, Tanaka-san had probably come to believe in the ghost over time. So perhaps he had sought out the great Mouri Kogoro today, hoping for proof that Yoshida Akane was still alive, and that he had not driven her to suicide.

Ran frowned. But still… Who was it who had forcefully taken Yoshida-san into his car, and to what end? What had happened to Yoshida-san? And… As for that club president, dressing in costume and appearing before Tanaka-san every day… Why would anyone do such a thing? And why would she be so committed to this task, that she would carry on for 16 years?

The best explanation for such bizarre actions was sure to come from the prankster herself. And since the _Inner Field Mysteries_ club president was supposedly the only one who knew Tanaka-san's identity and address, then she was the most likely suspect.

Ran flipped through the book idly as she made her way home. The first page contained a list of names: Nishida Yui (西田結), Yoshida Azuma (吉田東), Kusuda Yoshiko (楠田吉子), and Yoshida Kita (吉田北).

Four pages followed, each featuring a drawing of a compass that occupied the entire page. Each compass corresponded to a school year, 1996 to 1999. On the mark for each direction on the compass, North, South, West, and East, was written a collection of words and phrases that was different for each direction and year:

* * *

1996

N: 爺さんあっち(jiisan atchi - old man that way)

W:母さんきち(kaasan kichi - mother kichi) E:姉ちゃんよし(neechan yoshi - young woman okay)

S: 父さん町(tousan machi - father town)

* * *

1997

N: 子供とと(kodomo to to – with children and)

W:あなたはど (anata wa do – you are as such) E:私はだ (watashi wa da – I am thus)

S:彼もで(kare mo de – he also by)

* * *

1998

N: 何で南(nande minami – how South)

W:何処に東(doko ni higashi – where East) E:今で西(konde nishi – this way West)

S:ここに北 (koko ni kita – here North)

* * *

1999

N: いますよです(imasu yo desu – it is it)

W:行きますだな(ikimasu da na – go for it) E:行ってみてでしょう(itte mimasu deshou – try it maybe)

S:言いますだ(iimasu da – it says)

* * *

Ran turned to the final page in the book. It was blank save for one command written in the center: 私を見つける(Watashi o mitsukeru – Find me).

Ran regarded the book with annoyance. _These _Inner Field Mystery_ students would probably make great friends with Shinichi_, she thought to herself. But she had noticed something. Those names on the first page, and the compass theme…

Suddenly, Ran halted in her tracks, rigidly frozen. Shoot! She and Shinichi had forgotten to call the others, to tell them that the high school the two of them were investigating had been the one Yoshida Akane had attended. Then, this entire time, the others had been poring over countless photos, finding absolutely nothing, when they could have stopped nearly an hour ago…

Ran laughed nervously. Well… She shrugged. She could pretend they had just found out. Less frustration for everyone.


	22. The Ghost Girl: Compass Codes

Thanks everyone for the support! Updates will be consistent for the next few weeks. :)

* * *

"Thank goodness," Heiji exclaimed upon hearing the news. "I don' think I can take any more o' this investigative monotony. We've been sittin' around for an eternity, looking at all these ugly kids, and-"

"Ya' know," Ran heard Kazuha say in the background, "that detective profession yer always raving about – it's more about paperwork and _investigative monotony_ than glorified chases and murder scenes."

"Yeah, well-" There was a brief pause of static as the phone shifted. "Anyway," Heiji's voice continued, "tell Kudo this time doesn' count."

Ran frowned. "Umm, what do you mean?"

"The contest!" Heiji's voice rang out enthusiastically. "Kudo an' I need ta' have a deduction contest, ta' determine who's the better detective."

"Didn' ya' guys already do that?" Kazuha called out from the background. "An' Sera-chan determined it was a tie, didn' she?"

"Ahou." Heiji's voice was muffled as he spoke away from the phone. "That time didn' count 'cause Kudo cheated, so obviously we've gotta do it again."

"Kudo-kun didn' cheat," Kazuha cut in. "Yer jus' a sore loser."

"How can I be a sore loser, if I didn' lose?" Heiji shot back. "Remember, it was a tie."

"And yet you still can't accept the results. Ya' sound like a sore loser ta' me."

"Okay, but listen," Heiji replied coolly. "Kudo wouldn' 'ave arrived at the conclusion if he hadn' asked me for help with the first part. Sure, I couldn' figure out the last bit, but Kudo didn' know the first bit without me."

"Why'd ya' tell 'im then?" Kazuha prompted.

"'Cause he kept on askin', and 'e even agreed ta' admit I was the better detective as long 's I told 'im," Heiji explained. "So obviously 'e was cheatin', since 'e was pretendin' ta' give in, jus' so I would tell 'im the answers…"

"Well, if it was deceptive in nature," Kazuha pondered aloud, "then maybe…"

"Ah, actually, I don't think it's like that," Ran interrupted. There was a pause. "It's not that Shinichi was trying to cheat," she continued. "It's just that… He was favoring the case, rather than the competition."

The couple was silent as Ran's words sank in.

"Okay, it's like this," Ran attempted to explain. "Tanaka-san is distressed, and he has come to us for our help. It is our responsibility to do our best to find consolation for him, and that cannot be accomplished if we are all working independently of one another, hoarding our information. You say that Shinichi cheated because he debased himself to solve the mystery? Think about what he really did.

"You would have never reached a conclusion had you not cooperated with one another. You both had valuable knowledge that together would solve the mystery, but alone meant nothing. That is the reason he sought your input – not to cheat, but to solve the mystery. Someone _had died_. To refrain from discovering the killer to preserve a game would be disrespectful to the deceased, the grieving, and the detective profession itself."

As she finished, Ran flinched. She had begun attempting to defend Shinichi, but at the same time, the implications were insulting to Heiji. She bit her lip. How could she have been so rude?

"I- I'm sorry," she quickly added. "I don't mean to insult. I simply mean… It is not often that a difficult mystery can be solved by one mind alone. The difficult mystery needs to be assessed from different angles, from varying perspectives. In the end, nearly all input is valuable. That's… That's what Shinichi told me. That is what he has learned, from this past year."

The other end of the phone was still silent, and Ran wondered if the call had been dropped. But after a moment, Kazuha's laughter could be heard in the background.

"Well Heiji," Kazuha said slyly, between giggles. "It looks like Kudo-kun won after all." Kazuha laughed again. "Ya' know, 'cause 'e was the one who was mature enough to choose the case over the game."

"H-hey!" Heiji shot back, "don' think that-"

"Ah! Look what time it is!" Kazuha's voice shrieked. "Ran-chan!" she called into the phone. Given the volume, she had probably taken it from Heiji. "I'm sorry to rush this conversation," she offered, "but it's a good thing you guys found the girl over there. We've gotta take off for a campus tour right now. But I'll see ya' later, right?"

"Of course," Ran confirmed. "Good luck with everything!"

* * *

"Oh, good," Kogoro reflected. "I already sent Tanaka-san home, but I have been working diligently since."

"I hope you didn't go to too much trouble," Ran began.

"Nonsense," Kogoro assured her. "Work like this is nothing" – "MAHJONG!" someone screamed in the background – "to me…" Kogoro cleared his throat.

Ran narrowed her eyes. "Otoosan, you never went to the school, did you?"

Kogoro chuckled apologetically. "Well…" He paused. "I wouldn't worry about it too much. This guy came to me to get rid of his ghost problem, right? And I can safely say he won't be bothered by ghosts, because there never were any ghosts to begin with. The guy's just paranoid, freaking out over a couple of school girls walking by his house. The great Mouri Kogoro doesn't waste his time with silly cases like this! – H-hey, I told you not to start without me!" "I'm not!" another voice insisted.

Ran shook her head in amusement. "I'll let you get back to your game," she laughed.

As Ran ended the call, she checked her phone. No messages. So Shinichi was indeed busy with meetings. He had seemed well. She was glad of that. Alright…

Ran opened the _Inner Field Mysteries_ album once more, studying the names. She had noticed something. Yes! That's what it was. These weren't real names. Each one was an odd twist on the name Yoshida Akane (吉田茜), with a compass as the theme.

The original name was comprised of three defining features: the characters for luck (吉) and rice field (田) making up the surname Yoshida, and within her given name Akane (茜) was the component character for the compass direction West (西)."

Ran scrolled her finger down the list of names. Each name took this template into account, creating a name consisting of characters or component characters for luck, rice field, and a compass direction. The first name, Nishida Yui (西田結) was comprised of West (西), rice field, and luck (吉) as a component character in 結.

Next was Yoshida Azuma (吉田東), which featured luck, rice field, and the direction East (東). Kusuda Yoshiko (楠田吉子) followed with the character for South (南) being a component in 楠, rice field, and luck, with 子 included to make it a feasible girl's name. The last name, Yoshida Kita (吉田北), returned to the three character template with luck, rice field, and North (北). That last name stood out, but she wasn't sure why.

As for why the names had been fabricated based on the name of Yoshida Akane, along a compass theme… Ran paused, studying the names. Maybe, given the order of directions represented in the list, she was meant to read the words and phrases on the compasses?

Ran flipped the pages with interest.

The order indicated by the list of names was West, East, South, North. So if she took the characters from the West of the first compass, East the next, South, and then North… Ran produced a pen from her pocket and began jotting notes in the album.

* * *

母さんきち(kaasan kichi - mother kichi) 私はだ (watashi wa da – I am thus) ここに北(koko ni kita – here North) いますよです(imasu yo desu – it is it)

* * *

Ran frowned. That couldn't be the message. It was too awkward… Of course, each line seemed to start one way and then end differently. So even if she were to place certain lines together, they would not form a coherent statement…

Unless… Ran recalled the code from the previous night that Shinichi had solved. Following the order of the doors one by one rendered a meaningless jumble. But then Shinichi had surmised that there were two separate words. Perhaps there were two different statements to be read here. Each sentence began one way and ended in another, so perhaps the first statements were to be paired together, and then the last. Ran rearranged the first and second phrases of each line into a first and second sentence. The resulting message was:

* * *

母さん、私はここにいますよ。(Kaasan, watashi wa koko ni imasu yo. – Mother, I am here.) きちだ北です。(Kichida Kita desu. – I am Kichida Kita.)

* * *

And then, of course, the final page – Please find me.

This message seemed to have little to do with Yoshida-san, Tanaka-san, or the _Inner Field Mysteries_ club. Just what did – Ran paused. Wait… Kichida Kita? That was the name of the woman at the Kid heist the previous night… Was it coincidence?

Ran flipped back to the first page with the list of names. The last name was Yoshida Kita (吉田北). But now that she thought about it, the name could also be read as Kichida Kita. If it was the same Kichida Kita… Would she know anything about this ghost girl scheme? Would she know what had happened to Yoshida Akane?

* * *

As he finished with his papers, Takagi returned his attention to his young visitor. He was silent for a minute, watching Conan intently, chewing absentmindedly on his lip, attempting to decide where to begin.

Finally, he forced a nervous smile. "Ah, I'm sorry that Shinichi-kun asked you to come for him," he offered, "since I changed the time of our meeting, and he couldn't make it." He paused. "But actually, the guy whom we were to discuss – obviously around whom I didn't want to have this conversation – took a sick day today, so I figured as soon as possible was…" He trailed off, wondering how much he needed to explain himself.

Conan stared at him with his big, piercing eyes, that once more sat behind a pair of oversized glasses. A distractible, childish smile was once more pasted onto his face.

Takagi frowned, forcing himself to look away from the mesmerizing stare. "Anyway," he announced with authority, "f-follow me, please…" He stood up and began to lead Conan away from his desk, toward the back room. It was intended to be used for meetings between attorneys and their clients, since the room was free of security cameras and fairly sound-proof, but Officer Miyamoto Yumi had recently taken to arranging "staff parties" in there… So it probably wouldn't hurt for him to use it, just this once...

"Wow," Conan reflected as they reached the back room. "I've never gotten to see _this_ room before!"

Takagi forced a laugh and opened the door for Conan, closing it after the boy had entered.

"S-so…" he began, sitting down and indicating a chair for Conan, "you'll relay all of this information to Shinichi-kun, right?"

Conan smiled, taking the seat. "Yeah, definitely! Shinichi-niichan wants to help Takagi-keiji as much as he can."

Takagi took a deep breath. "Okay, I guess we should get started." He eyed the clock on the wall. "Hashimoto-san was involved in an incident a few years ago," he began, "and after that-"

"What was the incident?" Conan interrupted. He bit his lip instantly, seeing himself as being overly forward.

Takagi frowned. "Well…" He paused, studying Conan. "Just remember, he was always a really good officer. He made a great impression with our superiors from day one. He met a girl somewhere along the lines, and with that, he became even more passionate about his job. So there was absolutely no reason to doubt him at the time."

Conan nodded.

The police detective sighed. "As for the incident, there was this operation, a few years ago… Hashimoto-san had been working on a case concerning some small organized crime dealings. He had not unearthed much, but he had discovered when and where the next deal would be taking place. I am not familiar with the details, but there was to be a sting operation then, to capture the guilty parties. When the night of the meeting came, Hashimoto-san and three other officers embarked on the scene as planned."

Takagi paused for a moment, frowning. "But only Hashimoto-san returned." He glanced to the side. "Now, he was a complete mess, but he managed to tell us that there were more men than they had counted on, and that his fellow officers had been killed when they had been discovered. But he stipulated that they had not died in vain, because the criminals present had been killed in the battle as well."

Conan frowned.

"We checked into everything thoroughly," Takagi continued, "and it was exactly as he had said. The bodies of the three police officers were there, in addition to five men whom we confirmed to be associated with several different petty crimes. So it seemed like the story was true. The bodies were there – the police and the criminals."

Conan nodded pensively.

"So after that incident," Takagi continued, "Hashimoto became very… well, meticulous, with the police records. He would promptly input all of the submitted reports to the database, and then he would analyze each one carefully, looking for patterns, cross-checking, you name it. I didn't think anything of it at the time, because it just seemed that he was more passionate about his job, since he had been so close to death that day. And anyway, it was a great help to all of our investigations, to have everything consolidated and analyzed like that."

"Was there anything else?" Conan wondered.

Takagi paused. "Well, like I said before, nothing was suspicious about his behavior. There were a few changes, but they seemed justified, given the incident. Cases on which he was assigned were solved just as thoroughly and effectively, but he started to fade into the background. He was very careful to keep records of his involvement in cases to a minimum, reasoning that vengeful criminals would not target him, or his girlfriend by extension, in such a case."

"Was he overly concerned for his safety?" Conan asked.

Takagi shook his head. "It was his girlfriend for whom he was concerned." He paused. "Actually, he had become much more concerned for her following the incident. Recently, in fact, his girlfriend has been asking us to keep a great deal of information from him, simply to keep him from worrying over her."

"But anyway," Takagi said quickly, continuing with his original explanation, "these changes were logical, and I had no reason to distrust him until yesterday…" He stole a glance toward the door. "Yesterday, during that case at Tropical Land, I saw him remove a piece of evidence from the scene…"

Conan's eyes widened. That's right. That critical piece of evidence had gone missing, and he hadn't known to where… And he had asked Hashimoto, no doubt casting further suspicion onto him.

"When I asked him about it," Takagi continued, "it appears he had expected that no one noticed. But when he saw I had, he explained that he had taken it because it closely resembled his own bottle of medication, and he had thought that he had dropped it there. He dug a nearly identical bottle from his pocket, laughed at his mistake, and assured me he would turn the bottle from Tropical Land in as evidence.

"I checked later, to see if he had indeed turned them in, and it seemed that he had. The bottle was there, with the pills inside. But as I looked at it… It seemed to me that certain features were not the same as the one that had been taken from the crime scene. But surely, Hashimoto-san would not turn in a duplicate, I thought. What pills could be so important that he would need to do that?"

Conan nodded, indicating for Takagi to continue.

"Hashimoto-san had not yet been home since the case," Takagi continued, "so while he was away from his desk, I checked inside, and sure enough, the true bottle of pills was tucked neatly into the back." He paused, sparing a nervous glance at his pocket. "Hashimoto-san is a very keen man," he continued, "and very little escapes his notice. So I took from the bottle only two of the twenty or so pills, and tucked the bottle back into the desk in the same manner I had found it."

"Why did you not confront him about it?" Conan posited cautiously. "If the reason for his behavior was drug addiction, or drug trafficking, would it not be best to protect him from himself?"

Takagi cast his eyes despondently toward the floor. "Th-that's true," he agreed. "And… There was a time when those would have been my first thoughts as well." Takagi sighed. "But… I know there is something wrong. I've known it for a while. Something really big, that I simply cannot see. And…" He frowned. "Since it's so big, how do I know whom I can trust?"

Takagi shook his head. "After acquiring the pills, I didn't really know what to do with them. My first thought was to get it identified by forensics, but then it struck me that Hashimoto-san might not be alone in his task." Takagi turned to face Conan. "A-and that's when I called Shinichi-kun," he explained. "I thought maybe he could help to shed some light on this…"

Conan looked taken aback. "But in this scenario," he differed calmly, "you are having a mere child deliver this sensitive information." He looked at Takagi quizzically. "Would you rather trust a kid with this information, than one of your fellow officers?"

Takagi cleared his throat, smiling amusedly at the way Conan had worded it. "Well, it's just that… Well, as I told you earlier, Hashimoto was comparing the fingerprint profiles of Kudo Shinichi and Edogawa Conan." He paused. "Well… I don't know whom I can trust, but I can take advantage of what I know."

He fixed his gaze, meeting Conan's eyes. "And…" He was nervous. Being confrontational always disagreed with his nature. "Well," he continued, "I know Conan-kun has a secret, and I know that earlier he was concerned that Hashimoto-san had learned it. Conan-kun is safe to confide in, because I can trust Conan-kun to do nearly everything to keep his secret." Takagi paused. "And that if I were to tell him that I know his secret, and that it was I who replaced Shinichi-kun's fingerprint profile with my own…" He swallowed. "Well, I can trust Conan-kun to help me as long as he can trust me to continue maintaining his secret."

Conan was stunned, his mouth agape.

Takagi reached into his pocket and produced a small plastic bag containing the aforementioned pills. "So um…" He laughed nervously. "Does Shinichi-kun know any trusted chemical analysts?"

Conan reached out to accept the bag, his eyes wide. "I… I do," he answered uneasily, silently studying the object sitting in the palm of his hand.

Takagi fidgeted uneasily at the silence. "Well, I'll let you contemplate my account for a day or two," he decided, "but if you could please get back to me with your thoughts, and if you should need any help, I… I want you to know that you can count on me."

Conan nodded slowly. "I- I will." A sudden thought struck him. "Nee, Takagi-keiji," he began, "Hashimoto-san is very close with his girlfriend, but she keeps a great deal secret from him, so that he doesn't worry over her, right?"

"That's correct," Takagi affirmed.

Conan smiled. "Would it be alright for me to ask her a few questions?"

* * *

"Okay okay, sh sh sh… Yeah, bring that…"

Conan and Takagi turned toward the door to see Officer Yumi stealing into the room, issuing subtle commands to an officer behind her. As she backed into the room, she suddenly stopped, catching sight of Conan and Takagi.

A wide smile spread across her face. "Oooo!" she exclaimed in a low, enthusiastic whisper. "A secret meeting!"

Conan and Takagi exchanged nervous glances.

Her companion continued into the room, preceded by a bouquet of flowers he held in his arms. "Wait, what did you say?" He craned his neck to the side, revealing the round face of Detective Chiba. Upon seeing Takagi, Chiba's face lit up. "I found him!" he called over his shoulder.

Officer Shiratori Ninzaburo appeared in the doorway. "Found who?" He spied the flowers and his fellow officers. "Is this another staff party?"

"No, I wasn't talking to you," Chiba said quickly. "Satou-san was looking for-"

"It's not a staff party," Yumi assured him.

Chiba frowned in confusion. "I thought you said it was."

Officer Miwako Satou pushed past Shiratori. "Did you say you found him?" She smiled, catching sight of Takagi. "Ah, there you are!"

Takagi smiled nervously, slipping a piece of paper into Conan's hand. "Did you need me for something?"

"If this isn't a staff party," Shiratori interrupted, "what is everyone doing in here?"

"I thought we were going to have lunch together," Satou explained to Takagi.

"You came here on your own," Yumi assured Shiratori. "And you're interrupting this romantic reunion!"

Shiratori raised an eyebrow. "Romantic reunion?"

"I'm sorry," Takagi said to Satou. "I lost track of time." He leaned toward Conan. "Her name is written there," he whispered from the corner of his mouth. "She's at Beika General Hospital right now."

"It doesn't matter what it is," Yumi insisted, steadily pushing everyone out of the room. "You all just need to clear out, to ensure something good."

Upon being pushed into the hall, Shiratori looked at his watch. "Alright, well, whatever this is, I'll leave you to it," he decided, turning and leaving the group.

Conan nodded and slipped quietly from the group.

Chiba blushed, eyeing Yumi. "Romantic reunion? W-what are you saying? When you asked me to bring flowers, you said it was for the staff party."

Satou looked around in confusion, noticing that she had been led from the room. "Wait, I'm lost. What are you guys talking about?"

"Ah, let's go have lunch," Takagi laughed nervously, taking Satou's hand and leading her away.

Upon finding themselves alone, Chiba turned to Yumi. "So… What is this?"

"Okay, look." Yumi sighed, turning to Chiba. "I'm sorry, but this was a bit of a lie. I pretended it was a staff party so you would get the flowers, so I could set you up with this nice young girl who fancies you."

Chiba was silent, studying Yumi's face. "Why… Why would you think I would want that?"

"Because you're my best friend!" Yumi explained, hitting his shoulder playfully. "I know you don't have a girlfriend, because you and I always hang out on the days that you have off. And this new partner of mine really likes you, and I really want my best buddy to be happy, so I thought…" She trailed off, growing nervous under the awkward way in which Chiba was staring at her.

"Ah, here she is!" Yumi exclaimed excitedly as her partner, Miike Naeko appeared in the doorway. She smiled at Chiba.

Chiba laughed uneasily and held out the flowers. "I guess these are for you. I'm Chiba."

The young woman smiled. "Miike Naeko," she replied after a pause.

Seeing her work done, Yumi slipped quietly from the room. She watched Chiba for a moment. He seemed to like her. And... And that was good. She turned and walked away.

Naeko began explaining how she had known Chiba from several years previous. Chiba nodded politely, watching Yumi as her heels clacked softly down the hall.


	23. The Ghost Girl: Dangerous Friends

Edit: I'm really sorry, but this story will be on a brief hiatus. I've been very busy with my classes, so I have next to no free time right now. Also, I've recently been tackling some medical problems that have caused me to fall VERY BEHIND in my classes. I think it's under control for now, but you never know. Anyway, this story has not been abandoned. I seriously think about this story every day when I'm studying. It's highly distracting, and I find myself writing a few paragraphs, every now and then. I want to release these last chapters close to one another, because there will be some things that can't be left hanging, and things that need to be fresh in your mind. So I won't update for a while, but when I finally do, it will be in fairly regular intervals.

Sorry, this chapter's being released a few days later than I promised.

To everyone following, thanks a bunch! I'm pretty sure I'll get everything concluded in 30 chapters or a bit less. Some people were asking, so that's my best estimate. =)

* * *

"Okay, great, thank you!" Ran proceeded toward the staircase, replaying the information in her head. _Room 231…_ Oh, Shinichi would need to know where she had gone. She pulled out her phone and sent him a message with the necessary information.

Ran nodded, satisfied with her work, and continued up the stairs. As she reached the second level, she began searching for the room numbers. 257, 256… There had been two staircases, one on either side of the building. The other side probably started with 201, since 257 was on this side, so 231 would be somewhere in the middle.

Odd numbers on this side. 237, 235, 233, and… Ran arrived at 231. The door was open, but she did not want to disturb anyone. She knocked politely, three times.

There was the faint squeak of a bedspring as its occupant rose to meet the visitor. Before long, a woman appeared before Ran, her face concealed by large, thick glasses. "Ah, Mouri-san! What a surprise!"

Ran studied the individual, attempting to discern her identity.

"Oh, I'm sorry. I forgot…" The woman removed her glasses. "It's me, Kichida Kita."

Ran was taken aback for a moment. The glasses made a significant difference of appearance. But sure enough, this was Kichida Kita. And… Now that she thought of it, Kita looked a good deal like the alleged ghost girl. Older, of course, but…

Kita looked down at the floor nervously. "I'm sorry," she offered quietly. "I don't wear these in public if I can help it, since they are so thick and unsightly. But my vision is still severely impaired, although less so, with contacts, so when I'm working…" She winced. "I'm sorry, I'm rambling. It-it's very nice that you've come to visit. But…" She swallowed. "Well, how can I help you?"

Ran could tell she was busy. "I'm sorry to have come unannounced," Ran offered. "Is this a bad time?"

Kita shook her head quickly. "No, no, it is fine. Please come in. It's just that I'm doing some very important work for my company – after that Night Baron resurgence, my boss wants this software updated and ready for distribution by tonight." She smiled. "But I was just about to take a break, so…"

"I won't take up too much of your time," Ran assured her. "Actually, I'm helping my dad with a case, so I was just wondering if I could ask you a few questions…"

Kita nodded. "Of course, by all means…"

* * *

Conan walked slowly down the hall, his eyes quickly darting to the side. This feeling… He was being followed. Perhaps coming here had been the wrong idea. If his pursuer had malicious intentions, his best course of action would be to stay within public view, where the pursuer would be less inclined to try anything…

Conan spared a quick glance to the side. There he was. His features were hidden behind sunglasses and a face mask. Other than that, he was dressed in fairly normal clothes – jeans and a t-shirt… Conan returned his gaze to the hall through which he was navigating, and continued moving forward. It could indeed be nothing. Perhaps he was worrying too much.

He increased his pace slightly, to put distance between himself and the man. Within a second, the sound of steps behind him quickened, to match Conan's pace. Then faster. He was drawing closer. Conan held his breath, continuing to feign a casual walk. He could go into one of the rooms, but there was a possibility that no one was inside, and he would be giving his pursuer a private setting in which to… On the other hand, if someone _was_ inside, then they could also become a target of this man…

Perhaps if he could find the lobby on this level... Before he could process the thought, the man behind him broke into a run. All logical thoughts vanishing from his mind at the sound of the ominous, pounding footseps, Conan began running as well. Without a plan, he simply raced forward.

Conan felt a hand on his back, and before he could make a sound, he was lifted into the air upside down, bringing his hanging face within a few centimeters of the face of his pursuer – well, now captor. The captor held him there for a moment, studying Conan's face. Almost in response to the man's scrutiny, Conan's t-shirt succumbed to gravity and flopped down over his face.

The captor started laughing, and set Conan back onto the ground. "Found you!"

Conan was puzzled. Who…? He readjusted his shirt.

"Sorry about the disguise," the man offered casually, removing his face mask, "but it was totally worth it to see the look on your face!" He pocketed his sunglasses and smiled at him.

Conan's eyes widened as recognition dawned on him. He pointed instinctively forward and shouted, "It's Kid!"

His voice echoed down the empty hall.

"Aww, that's cute," the man remarked, ruffling Conan's hair. "But I don't know what you are talking about," he continued with a mischievous shrug. "I'm just the simple high school student Kuroba Kaito, who, along with several of his classmates, three Teitan High School students, and a multitude of disreputable men, dressed up as the Kaitou Kid to get past the barricade to meet Kid."

Conan glared at him without amusement. "So, I take it the police fell for that stupid line."

Kaito shrugged. "Well, don't blame me – it was the inspector's daughter who brought that detail to his attention. But anyway, it was impossible for them to keep me there to begin with," he reasoned with an innocent face, "since the only incriminating evidence I possessed, my hat and fake police uniform, were donated to clothe the illustrious Kudo Shinichi." A smug grin spread across his face.

Conan turned to the floor. "He didn't wear the hat," he corrected him.

"Oh, right right," Kaito agreed, kneeling down and clapping Conan on the shoulder. "Because, as I recall, they recovered Kaito Kid's hat from a back room that – according to the account of Nakamori-keibu, who was watching me closely – I never had the opportunity to visit."

Conan frowned, realizing his mistake. That was why Kid had given the hat and uniform to Conan – to be rid of the evidence at a moment where Nakamori was conveniently distracted. And when he had changed into the fake police uniform in that back room, he had left the hat in there. "How did they identify the hat as yours?" Conan asked flatly. "There were dozens of those flashy hats there."

Kaito rolled his eyes. "Ugh, that would be Hakuba Saguru's doing. Annoying English detective, who apparently has access to his family's giant research lab. It seems he's been analyzing everything I leave behind, to the point that he can decipher the authenticity of a few items in my wardrobe, as well as my notes that I send to the police…"

Conan nodded. "I've met him." He continued to regard Kaito with a dull glare. "So? Could you tell me why you are here?"

Kaito looked offended. "Can't you believe that I wanted to make sure you were okay, after last night?"

Conan narrowed his eyes in restrained annoyance. "I would think that, after following me for the past five blocks," you would be able to tell I was healthy," Conan retorted.

"That's true," Kaito admitted. "But you know, there was still the possibility that tantei-kun was a ghost, and I didn't know it yet."

Conan blinked slowly at the outlandish statement. "There's a possibility that I'm a ghost… is what you said?" he repeated, regarding Kaito as if he were crazy.

Kaito nodded. "You know, since after Conan-kun went into the back room to give my clothes, his girlfriend, and his "DB Notebook" to Kudo Shinichi, he never left the burning building! The exit was through that one door alone, so I could not have missed him." Kaito shook his head, pretending to stumble on a train of thought. "But the remains of a child's body were not found in the building, so no! It would be silly to think Conan-kun had left this world."

"I'm not sure _that_'s the silly part of that idea," Conan remarked.

"Ah, so you had to have left the building," Kaito concluded in mock ignorance. "Hmmm... Ah! I have it!" His eyes shifted to where he was watching Conan closely. "Conan-kun left the building, but I didn't notice because he didn't look like himself, right?"

Conan stared forward impassively, meeting the thief's eyes. "What are you trying to say?"

Kaito winked. "I'm saying I'll need you to return my police uniform. You know, it's really useful, and I know you'd be inclined to keep it since it fit you so well last night, but it's really important to me, you see. So if you could please return it at your leisure…"

Conan was silent for a moment. "If you really want it back, you'll find it at the Mouri Detective Agency," he finally responded. "What is it you _really_ want?"

Kaito nodded. "Right right, I forgot I'm dealing with a detective. No pleasantries. You always want to get straight to the point. You never use style, or finesse…" He watched Conan for a moment. "Well, when we met outside that building last night, you agreed to cooperate with me in exchange for my cooperation… on a certain other task."

"You were supposed to turn yourself in," Conan reminded him.

"Yes, that was it," Kaito agreed. "But you had really come through for me… Really, you came through for everyone, for Aoko, for Nakamori-keibu, for the police, for all those idiots chasing a fake rock..." Conan raised an eyebrow at the latter-named group. "Without you," Kaito continued, "we wouldn't be alive today. And that's why…" Kaito donned a serious look. "Well, as I was sitting in the most uncomfortable position imaginable, no thanks to the aforementioned inspector, a thought occurred to me. I'm no good to the illustrious detective in prison. After all, last night I faced not only my enemies, but meitantei's as well." He smiled, noting Conan's interest. "And I may have some information that can be useful to him…" he continued.

"What are you talking about?" Conan asked, feigning ignorance. "What sort of enemies do you think I have?" He turned away impartially. "And anyway, you are a thief. You aren't doing this out of the goodness of your heart. What's in this for you?"

Kaito's face drooped in exaggerated sadness. "You think so little of me…"

"Even if you return the items you steal, you still act contrary to the police force," Conan explained, "causing countless officers to busy themselves with capturing you rather than protecting their city. You continued those thefts because it benefitted you, and you simply chose to ignore the negative consequences. So how am I supposed to believe that you want to set your goals aside to help me, when you could not even set your goals aside to help innocent victims?"

"Alright, I confess!" Kaito exclaimed indignantly. "Geez, you sure know how to make a guy feel good about himself. Anyway, given the information I acquired last night, if you'll allow me to explain it to you, it now seems to me that our goals are quite similar. For the task ahead, I need the help of the great detective of the East, and you need the help of the celebrated phantom thief. So I simply thought, maybe we can help each other. What do you think?"

* * *

Ran paused. There was no good way to introduce the subject… She held the _Inner Field Mysteries_ album out to Kita. "I- I wanted to know…" Kita accepted the album and flipped through the pages. "Do you…" Ran trailed off. "I mean, are you familiar with this album at all?"

Kita bit her lip. A flicker of unease passed across her face. "Y-yes," she finally agreed. "Actually… This is mine. I made it." She looked up at Ran, concern reflected on her face. "Did you get this from Beika City High School?"

Ran nodded uneasily.

Kita continued to chew nervously on her lip. "Th-then this case… Could it be regarding the disappearance of Yoshida Akane?"

Ran considered the response. "Somewhat, yes," she agreed. She eyed the album in Kita's hands. "If it was you who made that, then you were a member of the _Inner Field Mysteries?_"

Kita noticed the album she was holding and returned it quickly to Ran. "I was," she admitted, lowering her head bashfully. "I was the club's founder, president, and…" – she squinted nervously – "only… member."

"O-only member?" Ran echoed. "Then… The manipulated photos?"

"Well, that was my doing as well," Kita confessed. "I was in the school's Photography Club, and nobody noticed the changes I made, since they were on pictures from two decades past." She paused. "I used a picture of myself, dressed as Yoshida Akane."

Ran was confused. "And… The girl who appears before Yoshida-san's alleged murderer's home each day?"

Kita appeared surprised that Ran was privy to this information. She shifted her weight nervously. "Umm, what sort of case was it, that you said you were investigating?"

Ran laughed nervously. "Um, well…"

"Oh, I see. It was him," Kita interrupted. "That's what he told you. Am I right?" As she said it, Kita's eyes turned cold and bitter. The way she was now, Ran noted, was the exact expression in the ghost girl pictures. The resemblance was uncanny. "Tell me, did he seem scared?" She seemed pleased with the idea.

Ran took a step backward. "W-what?"

"Tanaka Daichi," Kita answered coolly, advancing forward. "He's your father's client, and he needs help with his ghost problem, right? Can he confess to his crimes, after sixteen years of being haunted by the one he killed?" She shrugged callously. "Well, maybe he will cease to be haunted once he turns himself in, right?"

Ran felt her left leg sliding backward, preparing to retreat another step. But… No. Ran stood her ground. "Kichida-san, please tell me," she began forcefully, "are you the one who appears before his home each day?"

Kita froze. Slowly, she backed away from Ran. As she reached the edge of her hospital cot, she let herself fall into a seated position, looking shamefully at the floor. The bitterness in her eyes faded. "I'm sorry," she said in a low voice. "I… I don't want to hurt anyone. I just want…"

She shook her head. "Y-yes…" she finally confirmed. She pushed her sleeve up her arm, revealing a 't'-shaped mark similar to the birthmark that Yoshida Akane was said to have possessed. "I have 'haunted' him every day for the past sixteen years. And I continue to do it, to this day," she said more quietly. "I – I guess you already knew that…"

Ran was silent. "All of this... Why? These were merely rumors you had heard at school, right?"

Kita shook her head. "N-not exactly," she answered slowly. "It was I who started the rumors. And… And they spread quickly." Kita sighed. "Well, you need to understand…" She was silent for a moment, choosing her words. "He was never charged with his crime, you see. He killed her, I just know it. But the case got thrown out, and he got off without being punished. So… So it may be weird, but I will continue to do this, to force him to face the ghost of the girl whom he killed. If he will not be punished by the law, I will make sure that he is punished by his conscience."

Ran watched sympathetically. "But… Even if you are sure that he killed that girl, why is this so important to you, that you have continued to pose as Yoshida-san for the past sixteen years?"

Kita bit her lip, reluctant to continue. "It… It's my responsibility," she said quietly. Slowly, Kita lifted her head to meet Ran's eyes. "She was always afraid of him. She told me about him all the time. And then one day, she was really distressed. And she kept saying that we were going to go away, and that she would hide me, and I wasn't allowed to look for her until the sunrise of Monday morning. The last thing she said to me was: 'Whatever happens, I will always love you'.

"I think she knew then, that he was coming to get her. We traveled far away. Maybe she was trying to escape. All I know is, I fell asleep at some point, and I can't remember much… I regained consciousness on Monday morning, to find myself lying on the ground, the sprout of a cherry tree behind my head, in Nagasaki of all places. I was alone, and all that was left of her, if indeed they were from her, were various flowers collected from the area, left there for me. I was five years old. The year was 1987, and I never saw Yoshida Akane, my mother, ever again."

Ran was silent as she processed the explanation.

"As you know," Kita continued, "my 'ghost girl' photo is present in every class picture from 1972 to 1980. My intentions for those photos were twofold. First, I wanted to spread the idea of my mother's murder. If news of the ghostly picture reached Tanaka-san, then all the better. But also, if there was a chance my mother was still alive, I thought maybe she would see my picture and come find me. I left a message for her in there" – Kita indicated the _Inner Field Mysteries_ album – "to let her know that I had changed the reading of my surname, at the time for fear that her murderer would come after me."

Ran thought back to the album's message: _Mother, I am here. I am Kichida Kita. Please find me._

"Still," Kita reflected, "I have had no response from her, since she is dead…"

"I-I'm really sorry," Ran offered. She straightened up. "But you must know that you cannot continue to act in this way, with this eerie vigilantism. Don't you think it would be better to explore why the case was thrown out by the police? Or perhaps confront Tanaka-san in a safe, secure public setting?"

Kita shook her head. "I have nothing to say to him," she responded coldly.

Ran sighed. "Okay, well, listen. My father works very closely with the police, and I promise you, we will get to the bottom of this case. All we need in exchange is for you to cease your… um… haunting." Ran forced a smile. "And anyway, your haunting will no longer be necessary, since we will make sure the truth is revealed, and justice served where it is needed. Can… Can you agree to that?"

Kita studied Ran closely. "Oh…" She returned her gaze to the floor. "Okay."

"Excuse me, would it be rude of me to enter?" a voice interrupted from the doorway.

At the sight of another visitor, Kita straightened up and rubbed her eyes. "Not at all," she assured her visitor. "Ah, if it isn't young Edogawa-san," she observed, smiling blankly. "Please come in."

Ran watched as Conan entered the room. He was Conan again, including the oversized glasses… She felt a slight twinge of disappointment at his appearance. Well, he had clearly gotten her message. But… Well, Conan and Shinichi were one and the same, so what difference did it make? Still, it was indeed… different.

Conan suddenly noticed Ran, and took a step backward in confusion. "W-what are you doing here, Ran-neechan?"

It was Ran's turn to be confused. "I'm working on the case," she answered plainly. "Isn't that why you are here? Because you got my message?"

Conan stared blankly for a moment, and then quickly dug his phone from his pocket. "Oh! Um…" He frowned as he read the screen. "Yes, of course!" He put away his phone once more.

A loud vibration resonated from Kita's work station.

"Ah! I'm so sorry," Kita said quickly. "Please excuse me." She reached for her phone and answered the incoming call. "Hi…" She frowned. "No, no, I'm not at my home because I'm…" She glanced around her hospital room. "I'm at work." She took a deep breath. "Yes, that's right."

"If you didn't come about the message," Ran prompted in a low whisper, "why are you here?"

"Ah, well, it's the same as you," Conan assured her quietly. "We're both here, working on our respective cases. It just seems that they coincide here…"

_Paging Akatsuka-sensei. Akatsuka-sensei, please report to room 104._

"What?" Kita looked nervous, holding the phone over her ear. "Oh, okay. I'm sorry, but, well it's not exactly a lie. I AM working. Just… at the hospital." She glanced at Ran and Conan apologetically. "No, it's nothing to be worried about. I was just um…" Her eyes widened, seeming to catch herself. "Well, I fainted at… work, yesterday, and they didn't know the cause of it, so they wanted to keep me under observation. You know, just to be safe. The doctor already said he doesn't think it's a relapse though, so you don't need to worry. Oh. N-no, don't be silly. Okay. Okay, I will see you in a bit then." Kita blushed, turning to the floor nervously. "I – I love you too," she replied quietly.

As she ended the call, Kita returned her attention to Ran and Conan. "I'm sorry about that," she lamented. "My boyfriend worries about me constantly. As you heard, I'm perfectly fine. After collapsing last night, they checked me out, and there were no toxins in my system at all. So…" She smiled. "Well, I guess I should feel a bit guilty, since it seems it was my own fault that I collapsed at a critical time, and not the work of a saboteur as I initially thought." She paused, considering the situation. "I… I really do need to take better care of myself, if I hope to benefit others…"

"But the system _was_ bypassed by someone," Conan abruptly reminded her, "through no fault of your own. That would require intimate knowledge of your software code, right?"

Kita weighed the question. "That's probably true," she conceded. "But everything was kept very secure at the company, so it's unlikely." Kita shook her head. "Ah, but however that third party managed to bypass the security last night, we will definitely get them this time, with this new software we're developing." Her eyes shifted nervously. "Oh, but everything is top secret, so I can't tell you much. But it's going to be widespread, across the country even. We've been working on it for months. In fact…" Kita turned to showcase the numerous computers and processing systems beside her bed. "I am under oath not to work on the project without being connected to all this security equipment, and furthermore, I need to perform checks each hour. It's kind of tedious, but… I guess it is a bit exciting as well."

"Those security features," Conan observed, "were they used for the software developed for last night?"

Kita shook her head. "Not to this extent, no. In fact, I think part of the reason for the newly mandated security is an attempt to eliminate the vulnerability of the conditions under which I developed the last software."

"Vulnerability?" Ran repeated in inquiry.

"Well…" Kita fidgeted nervously. "Probably the most vulnerable place was one of my computers at home, but even that computer is not connected to any networks, having been designated only for that specific task, so the only way someone could have retrieved the code from that computer would have been to break into my home and search through all six of my computers, all of which require passcodes on startup, before finding the correct one."

"Ah, but don't you live with your boyfriend?" Conan prompted. "Surely he would know the computer on which the software was stored, and perhaps he would be capable of guessing your passcodes, being that he is very close to you…"

A shadow flickered across Kita's visage, but it disappeared quickly. "N-no, that wouldn't be," she insisted, concealing a nervous twitch of the mouth behind her hand. "We don't exactly tell each other everything, but… Well, he tells me everything, I think… But for me, it's different… You see, even though I trust him…" Kita trailed off. "Well, I can tell he worries about me a lot – you know, he's always asking questions about me, about my projects, who I work with, the clients we represent – and I don't want him to be even more worried, knowing that my latest work is going up against some of the biggest organized crime in the nation. So I keep most of my work a secret from him. In fact, he doesn't even know I worked at the Kid heist last night."

"But he can still access your computers, right?" Conan suggested.

Kita nodded her head apprehensively. "Yes, of course," she answered, "but he wouldn't know that there was any important software on there in the first place." Suddenly, Kita stopped, considering the subject. "Wait, are you implying that my boyfriend copied the security software from my computer and delivered it to the criminal underground?"

Ran forced a laugh, shooting a glare at Conan. "No!" she assured Kita. "Sorry, Conan-kun here just likes playing detective." She pinched Conan's cheek, attempting to play off Conan's comments. No sooner had she begun that she realized… This was very awkward… Ran pulled her hand away quickly, returning her focus to Kita. "He sees my father interrogating criminals all the time," Ran continued, "so Conan-kun's always asking people awkward questions, pretending he is doing the same. He doesn't mean anything by it."

Conan sported a broad, childish smile.

Kita nodded, satisfied with the explanation. "Oh, I see," she agreed. She shook her head. "I'm sorry, I must seem like a nervous wreck."

"No, not at all," Ran assured her. "Your boyfriend sounds lovely. How long have you two been together?"

Kita paused to consider the question. "Let's see… Well, we met right around the time I started my security software work at the company. Only a week after, in fact. We met under very… strange circumstances, but he is the first person I have known who truly cares for me." She gestured toward her phone. "That was him on the phone earlier, asking where I was. You see, he cares so much that he makes it a point to know what I am doing, every second of every day. It's really sweet, isn't it?"

"Um, yeah, very sweet," Ran affirmed, secretly shooting Conan a concerned glance. "I'm sorry. I didn't catch his name…"

Kita nodded. "His name is Hashimoto Soichiro." She glanced at her watch. "Well, if you have time now, you can meet him. He will be here in a few minutes."


	24. The Ghost Girl: Shinichi's Perspective

Wow, finally. I'm sorry this chapter was so long in coming. I've been really busy lately, and on top of that, this chapter never seemed to sound right. I think I've rewritten this chapter at least thirty times, and I'm still not happy with it. But this story has gone far too long without an update, so I decided the chapter needed to be posted, no matter how terrible it was. There isn't much that happens in this chapter either, which is really cruel, given the amount of time you have all waited. But the crazy stuff is right around the corner, and I need to lay the foundation for everything, so here we are. Anyhow, to those of you who are still around, you are amazing. You are the entire reason this story exists, and has finally updated. Without you, I would probably take like ten years for each chapter. Ah, but joking aside, the next update WILL be posted next Friday. Now that I've posted this ghastly chapter, the updates should be regular until we get to the end.

* * *

Kita glanced down at her phone. "Anyway, I'm sorry if it makes you feel uncomfortable, but I'm afraid I must ask you to protect my secret when he arrives."

Conan suddenly checked his phone. It seemed he had several new messages.

"Oh, actually," Ran responded quickly, "if your boyfriend is coming here, I think we had better leave. It sounds like he is pretty worried about you, and entertaining company would only distress him further."

"I don't think it would be a bother," Kita assured her.

Ran smiled. "Still, Conan-kun and I would feel bad, intruding on your privacy like that."

Kita forced a laugh. "Ah, th-thank you for the thought."

Ran bowed her head slightly. "Well then, we should be going. Right, Conan-kun?" She turned to Conan for confirmation.

"Nee, oneesan," Conan interrupted suddenly, his eyes fixed on Kita, "where did you get that wound?" He was pointing at the 't'-shaped mark on Kita's arm. When she had repositioned herself, her sleeve had been pushed upward. The skin of the mark itself was raised – scarred over – and outlined by slightly wrinkled skin.

"Ah, that's not a wound," Kita assured him. "It's um…" She paused, studying the mark. "Well, I've had it as long as I can remember..." She shook her head, covering her arm once more with her sleeve. "Ah, but it doesn't matter. It's not important."

"He~h," Conan mused aloud. After a moment of silence, he whirled around to face Ran. "Alright, Ran-neechan. We should probably go."

Ran nodded hesitantly, watching Kita.

"Are you alright?"

Conan and Ran barely had time to react to the voice before a figure pushed past them, seemingly unaware that they were even there, and rushed toward Kita.

Hashimoto took hold of Kita's hand. "Here, sit down on the bed," he instructed her, guiding her back to the hospital cot. "Are you okay? Tell me, what did the doctor say?"

Kita smiled uneasily. "D-don't worry, it's just as I said. It wasn't a relapse or anything. I just got a bit tired and forgot to eat – it was just me being irresponsible."

Hashimoto closed his eyes for a moment, sighing in relief. "And you're sure…" He met her eyes. "You're sure that nobody was trying to hurt you?"

Kita forced a laugh. "Nobody would want to hurt me," she assured him in a low voice. "I'm just a simple computer programmer, designing my company's latest video game." She turned to the floor nervously. "Please do not worry yourself over me."

Hashimoto watched her for a moment. He cast a sideways glance at Kita's work equipment. "Should you really be working, in a state like this?"

"I told you, I'm completely fine. Besides, I need to get this project done soon."

Hashimoto was silent for a moment, continuing to look at the work equipment. "Is this all for security?" he asked in disbelief.

"No no!" Kita replied quickly. "It's just, um, some complicated computer gadgetry. You know, we use all the… all the latest technology, and we've spared no expense for this latest project…"

"Alright," he replied with a nod, satisfied with the answer. "But all the same, you need to get some rest. People don't just collapse for no reason. People don't go to hospital for no reason. You're here to rest up and recover from whatever it is that happened, and that is precisely what you must do."

Kita nodded in understanding. "Alright, I'll try to take it easy…" She looked Hashimoto up and down, and then suddenly stifled a giggle. "But it looks like you could use some sleep a lot more than I."

Hashimoto raised an eyebrow. "How do you mean?"

"Well, you look absolutely exhausted, for starters," Kita explained. "You didn't sleep at all last night, did you?" Hashimoto was silent, and Kita took this as affirmation. "And aside from that," Kita continued, "you're so tired that you did not even see that I was entertaining guests." She gestured toward where Ran and Conan had been standing.

Hashimoto's eyes grew wide, and he glanced immediately to where Kita indicated. But no one was there. He began to scan wildly around, searching the remaining portions of the room for the aforementioned individuals. "Guests?" Wherever he looked, there was no one there. "Who?"

Kita scanned the room as well, realising that her guests had already left. "Just some friends," she answered. "Hmm… Maybe they felt awkward when you came in worrying about me, so they politely slipped out… Well, it was no one you knew anyway."

* * *

An uneasy silence settled between them as they left the hospital and began to walk back toward the Mouri Detective Agency. Although they were both considering the current state of things – or rather, Shinichi's current state – neither was entirely enthusiastic about introducing such a topic. Any sort of consideration beyond themselves was welcome. Murders, evil organisations, Kaitou Kid… Even something as trivial as the weather would be a more welcome subject of conversation. Just as long as they did not mention that…

Conan thought back to his, for lack of a better word, eventful, morning. After leaving Ran at that high school, he had returned to Professor Agasa's house. He had needed to speak with both the professor and Haibara...

* * *

"And?" Her eyebrows were raised, as they often were when she was sceptical. "You can't expect me to believe she was satisfied with that explanation."

"Well, I just told Kichida-san that I'm going to go see her, to make sure she is well," Conan confessed with a shrug. "And anyway, it's pretty normal to be worried for her, after what she went through last night."

"I'm not talking about _her_," Haibara Ai countered icily, piercing Conan with her steady gaze. "I'm talking about that girl with whom you live; the one who has been patiently awaiting your return for almost a year now, unaware that she actually spends every single day with you, and that nearly every aspect of her and her father's lives is the product of your lies and manipulation." Conan rolled his eyes at Haibara's usual overdramatized descriptions. The girl narrowed her eyes before continuing. "How did _she_ not suspect your identity yesterday?"

Conan fiddled idly with the replacement glasses that Professor Agasa had recovered for him, turning his eyes to the floor. "You don't need to worry," he assured her in a low voice. "I took care of it." He paused, watching the floor.

"It's gotten to a point where Ran knows there is something amiss," he continued, "and there is absolutely no way to convince her otherwise. She has seen too much, and there are too many doubts in her mind. Tricking her into thinking everything is normal will simply not work anymore. I realised that yesterday, after that case at Tropical Land. Ran needed an explanation, so I gave her one."

"So, you told her the truth…" Haibara suggested discontentedly. Rather than being frustrated, she simply looked sad.

"Well, most of what I told her was true," Conan admitted, "but the way it's been presented will actually lead her to an entirely different conclusion."

Haibara frowned at those words. "What do you mean?"

"I… I've taken care of it. Ran's grown wise to the small-scale tricks, so I've simply employed a much more intricate misdirection."

She was silent for a moment, watching the young detective. Then a sly smile crossed her lips. "The organisation would have loved to hire someone like you – so adept at malevolent trickery. It's a shame you are not sympathetic to their cause."

"Well, in order to properly determine that, I would need to actually know their intentions," Conan retorted.

"You're right," Haibara admitted easily. "It's a shame you don't know them."

"And you do," Conan suggested. It was not a question.

"Naturally," Haibara agreed, slyly watching her companion for a reaction. After a moment though, she shook her head dismissively. "On another note, you wanted me to analyse some drug samples?"

Conan nodded, quickly abandoning their previous topic. He reached gingerly into his pocket and produced the bag of pills. Haibara took the bag and examined it carefully. "Okay, I'll look into this," she agreed. "I'm _not_ going to affirm the nature of this drug until I've run thorough tests." She turned to Conan, her eyes narrowed. "I know what you are hoping this is. But if it was uncovered and given to you so easily, there is always the possibility that they intended for you to find it, in which case you will have walked right into their trap."

Conan rubbed the back of his head nervously. "Well, that is true…" He trailed off before donning a hopeful, child-like expression. "But if this is genuine, then we could-"

"Look, I know how much this means to you," Haibara interrupted him, "but even if it is that drug I developed, and I am able to create a proper antidote, don't think that you can just jump back into your life as Kudou Shinichi. The famous high school detective is supposed to be dead, and it is dead he must stay, if you wish to remain among the living."

Conan turned to the floor, letting the words sink in. He knew that was true, but at times it simply felt better to pretend that he still had a life to which he could return. That things could simply go back to the way they had been, in his last life… when he had been Kudou Shinichi. It was difficult to ignore, that who he had been before all this was a completely different person from who he was now. And it was nothing to do with appearance, or fake names.

And it was not only his sense of self that he had lost, or stood to lose with the complete loss of Kudou Shinichi. It was everything else from that life – from _his_ life. His friends and relationships, his accomplishments, his aspirations… Everything he had ever done, everyone whom he had ever known, everything he had ever seen – it was no longer his. It never had been.

He would need to pretend it was never a part of his life, to forsake those very things that made him who he was. And also, he would lose who he had been with Ran… Well, given the events he had set into motion the previous day, this would be guaranteed regardless. It was better that way anyway.

After all, it was all selfishness. Every reason for hesitating was simply from his fear of losing anything. The reason he didn't want to let go, the reason he had introduced Ran to information that would only make her a target of the organisation… It hadn't been his love for Ran. If he loved her, then he would not have gone home with Ran, that night she had met Conan, nearly a year ago – the night Kudou Shinichi had died. If he loved her, then he would not have revealed his secret to her, or the secrets of the organisation. If he loved her, then their time together that day at Tropical Land would have been their last. And Kudou Shinichi would have remained dead, rather than revivifying every few months to simply break Ran's heart again and again…

He had realised that yesterday. And then Hiromi's straightforward trick had shown him something else – he could work his own straightforward trick, and it would solve everything. And then Ran had looked at him like _that_. Right after he had planned it. The guilt was overwhelming, that he was thinking such a thing when she was only concerned for him. His guilt may have caused him to reveal a bit more than planned… But this would still work. With Ran like that, everything was ready for the trick to begin.

So he had revealed himself, in that specific way. He pretended he was doing it for noble, romantic reasons, but beneath that, it was simply another gear in his plan. He needed to do _that_, to make things right, and to begin going about this case the proper way, in order to reach a solution.

Conan directed his gaze back toward Haibara, but the sudden movement made him feel lightheaded. _Oi oi._ He closed his eyes, pinching the bridge of his nose. Secrets and lies – that's how all of this had started, and that's how all of this would end. Well, he never intended to keep it a secret. In fact, he had told the very first person he had seen, after the incident, Professor Agasa. There was little reason in the young detective's mind to be so incredibly cautious at the time.

That was until the professor had convinced him otherwise. Hmm… Professor Agasa had had much less time to consider the situation, but he had immediately recognised the danger, and ensured that Shinichi hide himself. And Shinichi had not even said very much at that point. The old man had suddenly grabbed him, as he was casually explaining the incident, his eyes wide with some sort of emotion. Terror, dread, anger, disbelief…?

"_You must never speak about this to anyone!_" the professor had commanded of him.

Professor Agasa was sure an insightful one when he tried. Somehow he had recognised the danger from the organisation long before Shinichi. Did he even tell the professor that it was an organisation? Well, how would he know otherwise…

"I know that you have overinflated hopes of defeating them," Haibara continued, taking Conan's silence to be indicative of disagreement with her advice, "and of returning to your normal life…" She paused. "But you need to be prepared for the likely possibility that you will not succeed. If you valued your life, you would allow Kudou Shinichi to die, and you would simply resume your life as Edogawa Conan."

Conan's eyes remained shut. Ran would be solving that ghost girl case soon – she would not be happy when she learned what he had done. It was for the best. But… Well…

Agasa's house was very nice. He often felt more at home here than at his own residence directly adjacent. Maybe it was because the professor had always babysat him when he was young… Indeed, he spent most of his childhood either in Professor Agasa's home, or in the stories he read. He may have read the stories while physically situated in the library of his own home, but that didn't count.

Ah, reading. When he was reading, he was somewhere else. Not there. Somewhere warm, and colourful. He felt himself drifting through that world. Lazy waves of green, and rolling hills of golden sand. Open your eyes. He was dizzy. But he had to see this world. Open them. Good. Now if he could reach out, and grasp the stars, and feel the shimmering lights blowing across the Earth, buffeted by his soft breaths, resonating with each rise and fall of his own chest…

Oh, but the stars were fading. The entire world was dissolving, melting, forming into... And then it was Haibara. Haibara was there. Why was she here? Had they been talking about something? Conan blinked slowly, attempting to banish the mist that surrounded his vision. He watched Haibara. Why wasn't she saying anything? Wait, her mouth was moving. But there was no sound. Only that buzzing. That intense buzzing. What was she saying?

The ceiling light fixture behind her head formed a soft halo… Her face was pale, and her eyes wide. Hold on, why was he looking at the ceiling? Based on the relative orientation of nearby objects… He was now lying down. When had that happened? He must have forgotten.

And… Ah, and now Professor Agasa was there as well. Then… The room began to move. Or was it he that was moving? Well, the latter was more logical, but you could not rule anything out until you had the… proper evidence... And although numb, he was vaguely aware of pressure under one arm, and under his legs. That indicated he was being carried… Right? Or… Well, given the areas to which the pressure was applied, it could also be someone was taking his pulse – the axillary and femoral pulse respectively…

* * *

"What did you do?"

Conan slowly regained consciousness, waking to see Haibara and Agasa standing over him.

"W-wha-?"

"Did you take anything?" Haibara demanded immediately. "Do anything different from normal?"

"Um, n-n-…" He shook his head. "No, I don't think so…"

"Were the effects of the antidote any different from normal?"

"Y-yeah," Conan agreed, fidgeting slightly. "I was going to ask you about it. With just the one antidote, I reverted back to Conan almost immediately, but then I became Shinichi a second time shortly after, and that lasted until I came here." He studied Haibara's expression nervously, searching for any sort of reassurance that this was the intended result.

But Haibara's eyes were wide. She looked mortified. What had happened?

"You had a simple partial seizure, but it quickly escalated to a complex one, during which time your heart rate and blood pressure increased dramatically, to the point that you may have suffered a heart attack, had we not interfered."

Conan opened his mouth as if to respond, but then closed it. Simple partial seizure, complex seizure, heart attack. There was no way of knowing the full effects of APTX-4869. Maybe his body had sustained significant damage from the poison. He had not even thought of it before, since he had woken up and felt completely normal, aside from being ten years younger…

"This…" Haibara was still breathing uneasily. Her eyes were wide, like she was in a daze. "There will be no more antidotes. No more experiments. This won't happen again." She was serious. She was done. No more.

She stood up and exited the room without another word. After a moment, Conan sat up and glanced around the room. This situation was certainly sobering… He leaned against the couch, contemplating the full extent of… whatever all of this was. Everything. It was several minutes before he was finally shaken from his thoughts.

"She says you are free to go," Professor Agasa informed him, having appeared in the doorway. He paused, seeming to decide whether or not to say more. "After bringing you back around, she says your vitals have stabilised to the extent that you will be fine now, provided you do not take any more antidote."

Conan nodded. He wasn't exactly dying to go through any of that a second time.

* * *

He had just exited Agasa's home. Conan turned around once again. He had the strangest sensation that he was being followed. But there was no one there. If someone had followed Kudou Shinichi there, only to see Edogawa Conan emerge, then the implications of his true identity were less than ideal. Especially since Kudou Shinichi would not emerge from that home ever again.

His eyes flicked over to his own home. Perhaps it was the alleged Okiya Subaru? No, he could see from here that the welcome mat was not in front of the door. Ran and Sonoko had intruded upon Subaru's privacy before, and then they had inadvertently done it a second time, when they had brought their new friend, Masumi Sera. Sera was the worst possible surprise visitor Subaru could have, since she was the one person most capable of discerning his true identity, given her relation to him. Conan and Subaru had developed a system to prevent further surprise visits, to keep Sera safe in her ignorance.

The welcome mat placed in front of the door was an indication to Conan that Subaru was inside. Furthermore, the function of the mat was to alert Subaru to visitors. It was an electronic mat that triggered a doorbell when it was stepped upon. One needed to step upon the mat in order to enter the home, so there would be no possibility of unannounced visitors. This was a standard practice, utilised by many of the other homes in that neighbourhood, so it was not a very questionable addition.

If not Subaru, then…

It would not be Sera. She may have suspected his identity, but she had proved that she was content in what she knew of him. After all, she was much more interested in Subaru, and Tooru Amuro.

* * *

And then it turned out to be Kaitou Kid. The big idiot even went so far as to chase him down, and then grab him by the ankle to announce his presence… But at the same time, this 'big idiot', Kuroba Kaito, had proceeded to provide him with a wealth of information. And Conan could not help but feel he had gained a valuable ally…

"Well, I guess there isn't much use pretending anymore," Conan sighed, having been prompted by Kaito about the police costume Shinichi had borrowed, "now that you've figured it out. I've been getting a bit reckless – this has been happening a lot recently…" He shrugged. "Well, not like I ever really pretended around you anyway. I couldn't very well be hampered by such a thing, if I ever hoped to be able to catch you."

Kaito nodded with a smile. "Yes, yes, no need to pret-" He trailed off, frowning. "Wait wait wait." He fixed the young boy with a confused expression. "What? You, I mean… Really?"

Wait, did Kaito not even suspect…? Conan smacked himself mentally. He was jumping to conclusions again. "Um… I don't understand," he attempted uneasily. "What are you talking about?"

Kaito's face remained blank for a moment. "Okay, so I implied you were Kudou Shinichi, and then you responded like…" Suddenly, he stopped, his eyes widening. The shock remained on his face, but it was quickly joined by amusement. "No. No way!" Kaito seemed about to burst into laughter at any minute. "You're serious? Oh my gosh, no way!"

Conan shifted uncomfortably. "Why would you imply that I was Kudou Shinichi if you didn't actually think-" He was cut off by Kaito's laughter.

"Well, the idea occurred to me," Kaito admitted, attempting to silence his laughter, "and when you want information from someone who won't give it to you, sometimes the best thing to do is to pretend you already know…" His seriousness faded completely, overtaken by his previous amusement. "You?" Another chuckle. "_You_ are the famous high school detective Kudou Shinichi?"

Conan shot the young man a humourless, annoyed expression. "Are you done?" he asked dryly.

Kaito mockingly wiped a tear from his eye. "Oh man, it makes so much sense. You're always so eager to shoot people with your little watch. And the first time I met Kudou Shinichi, you were hanging out of a helicopter shooting at me."

"I wasn't shooting at you," Conan corrected him, rolling his eyes. "I was shooting that canvas away so the police would realise the stupid trick you were employing."

"Yeah, yeah," Kaito said dismissively. Suddenly, his expression grew serious. He grasped Conan's shoulders supportively, knelt down, and leaned in close, to the point that his face was only centimetres from Conan's. "Akako did this, didn't she?"

Conan looked taken aback. Whatever he had expected Kaito to say, it certainly wasn't that. "A-Akako…?"

"You, know…" Kaito returned to his feet, holding his right arm forward. "About this tall, reddish hair, way too full of herself? Crazy satanic witch?"

Conan shook his head slowly. "No, I don't think I know such a person..." _Although much of that could be used to describe Haibara..._ He chuckled inwardly at the thought.

Kaito was silent a moment. "Oh. Alright then. So then… this has something to do with Pandora, doesn't it?"

Again, Conan was taken aback at the assumption. "Sorry, I'm not entirely sure I understand what you are saying…"

"Oh, if you don't know about that…" Kaito trailed off. "Well, okay, I should explain from the beginning," he decided. "Okay. As you have guessed, the main reason I am here is about yesterday's series of events. When we first ran into one another yesterday, we both seemed to think that there was something bigger than a simple jewel heist occurring that night."

Conan nodded, relieved that the conversation was turning toward more relevant topics. "There had been a message goading an associate of mine on the broadcast that Suzuki-san sent out," he informed Kaito. "Although I did not fully understand the message until more recently, the content of the message was such that it could only be from one specific group, whose intentions are not entirely noble. From my interactions with said group, it has been made clear that their objectives are more destructive than jewel theft. It was for that reason that I elected to overlook your business there in favour of the safety of others."

"It was a similar reason on my end," Kaito admitted, "for not wanting to allow you to be involved in the first place. Although the event was not directly threatened by the organisation with which_ I_ am familiar, I had discovered that the jewel being presented was such a one that was their main objective to acquire."

The young detective frowned. "So both of these organisations, although completely separate entities, both had dealings in the events at the building last night..."

"Ah, as for that," Kaito continued, "I think I have a fairly accurate understanding of last night's objectives, given what occurred atop the roof. It seems that, for lack of a better name, Kudou-kun's organisation was the one pulling the strings last night. Apparently _my_ organisation obtained sensitive information regarding the gem Pandora from the other, and from this they made it their top priority to locate such a gem.

"Anyway, last night seems to have been your organisation's way of dealing with this breach of information. They tempted my organisation as well as myself with subtle confirmations that this was the gem they sought, and their plan was to trap and kill each and every member, maybe to contain or prevent the spread of the sensitive information. And had you not been there, they probably would have succeeded."

"This gem," Conan thought aloud, "This is the gem for which you have been searching, yes? And that is what your objective had been, to acquire it before your organisation, so that you could keep it out of their hands?"

Kaito nodded. "Of course, that objective doesn't mean very much now. The organisation targeting me seemed to think Pandora was a gem, so that was what I was searching for as well. It was supposedly a gem that would bestow immortality. But then I discovered last night that Pandora being called a gem was based on a Dutch poem, in which the gem was a metaphor for a woman. And that woman was there. Or at least, this foreign woman who was there called herself Pandora. And then she took off, lifted away by a helicopter, before the building closed. She was condemning everyone in the building to death, and she hadn't even batted an eyelash."

At the mention of the foreign woman, Conan had grown pensive. Vermouth. His thoughts returned to the door code from the previous night. "I think…" He frowned, slightly confused at the thought. "I think she counted on us escaping…"

"What?"

"Do you remember the codes I had deduced, to open the doors?"

Kaito thought for a moment, and then nodded. "If I remember correctly, it came out to be Angel and Cool Guy, right?"

Conan nodded. "Those codes were designed in such a way that Ran and I could deduce them easily. The two words hold a… special significance to our interactions with this 'Pandora'. She knew for sure that I would be there, and she knew for sure that I could solve this." He shook his head. "So no matter how you look at it, it seems like she counted on everyone escaping…"

"So then why start the fire in the first place?" Kaito wondered aloud.

"It had to have been toward a different end," Conan decided uncertainly.

Kaito frowned. "Well, all of the members of the other organisation are now in custody. Perhaps that was their intention?"

"Maybe…" Conan's eyes let on that he knew more than he was saying, but he quickly dismissed the topic. "Anyway, what exactly is this poem referring to a Pandora?"

"Ah, yes," Kaito agreed, pulling out a pair of gloves. "Here, put these on," he instructed him, thrusting the gloves into the child's open hands.

"What exactly are these for?" Conan eyed the gloves warily, but nevertheless pulled them over his hands.

Kaito produced a stack of incredibly aged documents from seemingly nowhere, a sheepish grin spreading across his face. "Alright, before she took off" – Kaito paused to sort through the pages – "Pandora mentioned that the poem mentioning her was in a report from Dejima sent to the Roujuu, so…"

Conan narrowed his eyes. "So you stole secret government documents from two hundred years ago?"

"Exactly, _two hundred_ years ago!" Kaito protested. "It's not like anyone is going to miss these. So as long as we handle them with care, and then return them to their dusty old case in the back of a dusty old building, everything will be fine. No harm done!"

Conan sighed. "Well, I suppose the only reason for the sensitivity of the documents was the Sakoku policy, by which our nation is no longer restricted. Most of the 'sensitive' information in the Roujuu reports can probably be found on the internet anyway…"

"That's the spirit," Kaito assured him with a wink. He selected a page from the pile and pulled it from the stack. "Anyway, this is the part I first heard, second-hand, from the organisation targeting me:

_As the volley comet passes over the Earth, my gem sheds tears under the shadow of the moon. Endless, immortal tears; never dying, not ever. Flowing from the red-glinted source, those flecks of light, shining from deep within its centre of being. My tragic, beautiful gem. Pandora."_

Conan looked to the ground in contemplation, nodding as Kaito finished. "And this foreign woman, you say she called _herself_ Pandora?"

"Yeah," Kaito agreed. "She said she was Pandora, the gem of humanity, or something like that."

"Hmm…" Another pause. "The reports sent to the Roujuu were supposed to be those containing information vital to Japan – scientific theory, modern medicine and practices, schematics… Why would this poem be sent?"

"Ah, well actually," Kaito admitted, "this poem was not a part of the actual reports on Pandora. It was among the head translators notes…"

"There were published reports on Pandora?"

"Yeah," Kaito agreed. "They actually had a file on her. It seems she was there to provide help with medical instruction." He paused. "She didn't arrive at Dejima until 1850, so when the port closed, it seems she moved to the mainland with one of the employees. They don't seem to have had any dealings with her after that, but they had her address, her first one after leaving anyway, in case they had need to contact her again…"

Kaito shook his head. "You know, I wouldn't believe it if I didn't see it with my two eyes, but…" He pulled a photograph from the file he was examining. "There's no mistaking it," he said with conviction, holding the photograph so that Conan could see it. Black and white, a man and a woman standing outside of an old-fashioned home. "That's her, isn't it?"

It was. In the picture dated 1855, the woman standing before the house was none other than the self-professed Pandora. Vermouth. Sharon. Chris. Whatever her name was…


End file.
